f'r-    ■,^" 


,t  tut  ®lvco%%f  ^ 

PRINCETON,  N.  J. 

BV  4810  .N6  1896  ^ 


The  Northfield  year-book  fo 
each  new  day 


Shelf. 


FOR  EACH  NEW   DAY 


{Mrs.   "Bdscv  Holton  {Moodv 

Vii-iv  of  the  Connecticut  VaJtey 

■V.  L.  {Moodv' s  'Birtliplace 


FOR  EACH  NEW  DAY 


SELECTED    AND    ARRANGED 

BY 

Delavan  L.  Pierson 


ILLUSTRATED 
BY 

MARY  A.  LATHBURY 


New  York         Chicago         Toronto 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL   COMPANY 
1896 


Coi)yriglit,  1S06,  by 
Fleming  H.  Revell  Company. 


TO 

MRS.  BETSEY  HOLTON  MOODY 

WHOSE  SELF-DENYING  LIFE  OF  FAITH  AND  LOVE 

SO  DEEPLY  INFLUENCED  THE  CHARACTER  AND   LIFE   OF  HER   SON 

THROUGH  WHOSE  INSTRUMENTALITY  NORTHFIELD  HAS  BECOME 

A  CENTER  OF  CHRISTIAN  TEACHING,  AND  A  PLACE  OF 

PENTECOSTAL  POWER  AND  PRIVILEGE 
THIS  BOOK  IS  RESPECTFULLY  AND  AFFECTIONATELY 

DEDICATED 


[Mr.  cMoociv's  ^ible 


BY  WAY  OF  PREFACE 


The  Northfield  Conferences  have  become  famous 
for  the  rich  spiritual  privileges  which  they  afford 
to  Christians  of  every  creed  for  joining  in  prayer 
and  consultation  with  men  to  whom  the  Holy  Spirit 
has  given  deep  insight  into  divine  truth  and  marked 
success  in  Christian  work.  These  conferences  stand 
for  three  things— devout  and  scholarly  study  of  the 
Word  of  God,  close  fellowship  with  the  Son  of  God, 
and  increased  spiritual  power  for  the  service  of 
God.  It  is  a  matter  for  regret  that  all  of  the  most 
valuable  addresses  here  delivered  could  not  have 
been  gathered  yearly  in  permanent  volumes  for 
constant  reference;  but  this  has  been  done  only  oc- 
casionally, and  such  records  as  have  been  prepared 
are  now  for  the  most  part  out  of  print.  Enough 
has  been  printed,  however,  in  newspapers,  maga- 
zines, and  books  to  form  a  rich  mine,  from  which 
we  have  sought  in  the  present  volume  to  gather 
For  Each  New  Day  some  of  the  choicest  nuggets  of 
truth  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  do  not  possess  the 
printed  reports  or  who  may  find  them  more  available 
in  this  condensed  form. 

The  power  of  the  addresses  has,  of  course,  been 
greatly  increased  by  the  personality  of  the  speak- 

3 


PREFACE 

ers,  even  as  the  attractiveness  of  Northfield  is  en- 
hanced by  the  natural  beauties  of  its  surroundings. 
Hence  it  seems  most  fitting  that  these  "nuggets" 
should  be  accompanied  by  portraits  of  some  of  the 
men  who  have  made  the  most  marked  impression  on 
their  audiences,  and  by  views  of  some  of  the  pictur- 
esque spots  for  which  Northfield  is  noted. 

We  send  this  little  book  forth  in  the  hope  that  it 
will  be  the  means  of  disseminating  and  perpetuat- 
ing some  of  the  glorious  and  heart-searching  truths 
which  have  been  uttered  at  Northfield  in  the  years 
gone  by,  and  many  of  which  already  have  been 
instrumental  in  the  quickening  and  strengthen- 
ing of  the  spiritual  life  of  Christians  at  home  and 
abroad. 

Delay  AN  L.  Pierson. 


LIST  OF  SPEAKERS  QUOTED 


Rev.  William  Ashmore,  D.  D. 
Bishop  M.  E.  Baldwin,  D.  D. 
Rev.  S.  L.  Baldwin,  D.  D. 
William  E.  Blackstone. 
Pres.  Charles  A.  Blanchard. 
Rev.  Andrew  A.  Bonar,  D.  D. 
Rev.  John  A.  Broadus,  D.  D. 
Rev.  James  H.  Brookes,  D.  D. 
Rev.  J.  Chamberlain,  M.D.,D.D. 
Rev.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  D.  D. 
Rev.  W.  W.  Clark. 
Rev.  John  E.  Clough,  D.  D. 
Rev.  Joseph  Cook,  D.  D. 
Rev.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  D.  D. 
Rev.  John  R.  Davies,  D.  D. 
Rev.  A.  C.  Dixon,  D.  D. 
Rev.  I.  D.  Driver. 
Prof.  Henry  Drummond. 
Rev.  W.  J.  Erdman,  D.  D. 
Rev.  W.  H.  P.  Faunce,  D.  D. 
Bishop  Cyrus  D.  Foss,  D.  D. 
Pres.  Merrill  E.  Gates. 
Rev.  J.  Monro  Gibson,  D.  D. 
Rev.  E.  P.  Goodwin. 
Rev.  A.  J.  Gordon,  D.  D. 


Rev.  James  M.  Gray,  D.  D. 
Rev.  Wm.  Henry  Green,  D.  D. 
Rev.  David  Gregg,  D.  D. 
Rt.  Rev.  A.  C.  A.  Hall,  D.  D. 
Rev.  H.  L.  Hastings. 
Bishop  Hendrix,  D.  D. 
Rev.  M.  D.  Hoge,  D.  D. 
Rev.  Geo.  C.  Lorimer,  D.  D. 
Rev.  H.  C.  Mabie,  D.  D. 
Rev.  R.  S.  MacArthur,  D.  D. 
Rev.  Alexander  McKenzie,  D.  D. 
Rev.  John  McNeill. 
Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer. 
Rev.  B.  Fay  Mills. 
Pastor  Adolph  Monod. 
D.  L.  Moody. 
Prof.  W.  W.  Moore. 
John  R.  Mott. 
Rev.  L.  W.  Munhall. 
Francis  Murphy. 
Rev.  Andrew  Murray. 
Rev.  George  C.  Needham. 
Rev.  John  L.  Nevius,  D.  D. 
Rev.  Chas.  H.  Parkhurst,  D.  D. 
Pres.  F.  L.  Patton,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


LIST  OF  SPEAKERS  QUOTED 


Rev.  F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.  D. 

Rev.  George  F.  Pentecost,  D.  D. 

Rev.  Arthur  T.  Pierson,  D.  D. 

Rev.  Marcus  Rainsford. 

Rev.  A.  F.  Schauffler,  D.  D. 

Rev.  C.  I.  Scofield. 

Rev.  Wilton  Merle  Smith,  D.  D. 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

Rev.  James  Stalker,  D.  D. 

Rev.  Josiah  Strong,  D.  D. 


Rev.  J.  Hudson  Taylor. 
Bishop  J.  M.  Thoburn,  D.  D. 
Rev.  Robt.  Ellis  Thompson,  D.  D. 
Rev.  R.  A.  Torrey. 
Prof.  L.  T.  Townsend. 
Rev.  H.  Clay  Trumbull,  D.  D. 
Prebendary  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe 
Rev.  Nathaniel  West,  D.  D. 
Major  D.  W.  Whittle. 
John_G.  Woolley. 


^ 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Mrs.  Betsey  Holton  Moody,  View  of  the  Connecti- 
cut Valley,  D.  L.  Moody's  Birthplace       .      .       Frontispiece 


Mr.  Moody's  Bible 


The  Pines 


Winter  Weeds 


Facing  Preface 


January 


The  Home  of  D.  L. 
Moody 


February 

Andrew  A.  Bonar       Bonar  Glen 


Lenten  Lilies 


Easter  Lilies 


March 

Andrew  Murray 

April 
A.  J.  Gordon 


Wanamaker  Falls 


Gordon  Lake 


Apple  Blossoms 


Roses 


May 

F.  B.  Meyer 

June 

Francis  L.  Patton 


The   Seminary  Build- 
ings 


Entrance    to   Lovers' 
Retreat 

7 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

July 

Poppies  Arthur  T.  Pierson       Round  Top 

Awgtist 

Maidenhair  Fern        H.  W.  Webb-Peploe    The  Auditorium 

September 

Chrysanthemums        R.  A.  Torrev  '^^^    ^^"^^    Hermon 

•'  Ferry 

October 

Oak  Leaves  John  McNeill  ^^®    ^^^^   *o    Camp 

Northfield 

November 
Blue  Gentians  J.  Hudson  Taylor        Cathedral  Pines 

December 

Holly  and  Mistletoe    Theo.  L.  Cuyler  Seminary  Grounds, 

Winter  Scene 


^ 


[Month  of  January 

The  Tines 
The  Home  ofT>.  L.  Moody 


Therefore  being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  by  whom  also  we  have  access  by 
faith  into  this  grace  wherein  we  stand,  and  rejoice  in  hope  of  the 
glory  of  God.— Rom.  v.  1,  2. 

Peace  for  the  past,  grace  for  the  present,  and 
glory  for  the  future.  Yes,  there  is  glory  for  the 
future;  nothing  before  the  true  believer  that  isn't 
glory.  I  think  it  would  take  the  wrinkles  out  of 
your  brow  if  you  would  just  look  into  the  future 
instead  of  into  the  past. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  people— some  that  live  on 
the  past,  and  some  that  live  on  the  future.  You 
never  saw  a  person  living  upon  the  past  all  the  time, 
and  always  talking  about  the  past,  that  did  not  have 
a  good  many  wrinkles  on  his  brow.  Instead  of  cast- 
ing all  their  care  on  Him  that  careth  for  them,  they 
are  all  the  time  thinking  about  their  troubles.  They 
go  to  a  meeting,  and  when  it  is  over  they  say, 
"Wasn't  it  splendid!  I  enjoyed  it  so  much;  I  forgot 
all  my  cares  and  all  my  troubles."  They  laid  their 
bundle  down  under  the  seat,  feut  the  moment  the  bene- 
diction was  over  they  picked  it  up  again.  Remember 
that  everything  before  the  believer  is  glory. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

One  result  of  communion  with  God  is  to  make  us 
tender  of  all  that  respects  God's  honor.  Moses  for- 
got himself;  he  had  no  room  for  thought  of  self; 
hence  God  was  able  to  clothe  him  with  a  halo  of 
glory.  An  earthly  king  likes  to  clothe  his  servants 
in  fine  robes,  and  God  is  pleased  when  we  enable  him 
to  bless  us. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 


DAY 
IV 


Men  sometimes  say,  "  We  grant  that  the  arguments 
in  favor  of  Christianity  make  its  doctrines  almost  a 
certitude,  but  isn't  it  just  barely  possible  that  some 
other  theory  is  true?  "  Suppose  that  it  is,  what  are 
you  going  to  do  about  it  ?  A  man  says  to  me,  "  I  am 
going  to  Europe,  and  want  to  know  on  what  vessel  I 
would  better  go."  I  say,  "  Well,  there  is  a  vessel 
down  at  the  wharf  which  stands  A  No.  1  at  Lloyd's, 
has  a  splendid  record,  safe  cargo,  fine  captain,  and 
picked  crew;  there  is  every  probability  that  if  you  go 
in  that  vessel  you  will  have  a  safe  voyage.  Here  is 
another  vessel,  that  leaks  like  a  sieve,  has  a  drunken 
captain  and  a  mutinous  crew.  I  don't  think  the 
chances  of  your  making  a  safe  voyage  are  very 
bright  if  you  go  on  that  vessel,  but  of  course  you  can 
do  it  if  you  want  to."  "  Well,"  he  says,  "  I  will  think 
it  over."  The  next  day  he  comes  back  and  says,  "  Did 
I  understand  you  that  you  would  make  an  affidavit 
that  you  could  prove  that  this  Cunard  steamer  would 
go  over  all  right,  and  that  the  other  vessel  was  bound 
for  the  bottom  ?  "  "  No,"  I  say;  "  I  didn't  say  that, 
but  I  said  there  was  very  great  likelihood  of  it." 
"  Well,"  he  says,  "  I  have  been  thinking  this  thing 
over  a  good  deal,  and  I  have  made  up  my  mind  that 
if  you  could  not  prove  that  this  vessel  is  going  over 
safely,  and  that  the  other  is  going  to  the  bottom,  I 
am  going  to  take  the  leaky  vessel."  "  Oh  well,"  I 
say,  "  that  is  just  as  you  choose.  You  are  taking 
the  risk.  If  you  want  to  go  to  sea  on  a  raft  or  an 
egg-shell,  go;  but  I  have  done  my  duty  when  I  have 
told  you  which  is  the  best  vessel  to  go  on." 

Francis  L.  Patton. 

12 


DAY 

V 


We  need  to  apprehend  more  clearly  that  for  which 
we  have  been  apprehended.  The  blind  man  does  not 
need  more  light,  but  more  eyes;  the  deaf  man  does 
not  need  more  sound,  but  more  hearing;  and  the 
Christian  does  not  need  more  of  the  Spirit,  but  more 
of  the  inspiration;  that  is,  the  inbreathing  of  the 
Spirit.  Suppose  I  go  to  a  man  who  is  sick  with  the 
pneumonia,  and  the  nurse  says,  "  Oh,  sir,  he  needs 
more  air."  "  But  the  windows  are  all  wide  open,  my 
dear  woman;  he  has  all  the  air  there  is.  Do  you  not 
see  that  it  is  not  more  air  that  he  wants,  but  more 
lungs  ?  "  Now  the  Spirit  is  spiritus,  the  breath  of 
God,  the  breath  of  Jesus  Christ;  and  the  church  is  the 
lungs  of  Jesus  Christ,  if  I  may  say  it,  and  you  and  I 
are  the  cells  in  those  lungs,  and  if  the  lungs  get 
closed  up,  you  will  have  a  consumptive  church,  a 
feeble  church,  an  asthmatic  church,  a  church  that  is 
full  of  weakness  and  failure,  simply  because  it  does 
not  take  in  more  of  the  Spirit.  It  is  not  that  you 
need  more  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  the  Holy  Ghost 
needs  more  of  you.  ...  I  believe  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  in  the  church  in  living  power.  If  you  will 
only  let  him  he  will  do  things  of  which  you  hardly 
dream,  in  the  management  of  the  church  and  the 
raising  of  funds,  but  most  especially  in  the  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel.  Christ  prom.ised  that  the  Spirit 
was  to  show  us  things  to  come,  to  bring  all  things  to 
our  remembrance,  and  to  help  our  infirmities.  There 
is  nothing  we  need  that  he  has  not  promised  to  do  for 
us,  and  it  is  to  me  the  most  real  experience. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 


13 


DAY 

VI 

The  Pharisee  stood  and  prayed  thus  with  himself.— Luke 
xviii.  11. 

This  expression  is  here  used  to  describe  this  man  as 
h^s  prayer  goes  across  from  himself  to  himself,  sup- 
plicated and  worshiped  and  thanked.  All  that  God 
gets  out  of  this  man  is  the  action  of  the  lips  in  utter- 
ing his  name.  Self  gets  the  true  thanksgiving.  He 
is  bound  to  say  ''  God,"  but  he  thanks  and  praises 
himself.  Could  not  you  bite  the  tongue  of  somebody 
who  has  been  dangerously  near  that  condition  in  the 
house  of  God  ?  Using  holy  words,  words  which  in 
David's  mouth  were  sobs,  or  triumphal  shouts  to  God 
in  heaven,  but  on  your  tongue  what  were  they? 
Prostituted,  debased  to  this  evil  use,  to  inflate  your 
own  conceit. 

It  is  right,  my  brother,  that  you  should  thank  God 
that  you  are  not  like  the  fellow  who  reeled  past  you 
last  night,  the  shame  of  his  father's  gray  hairs  and 
the  heartbreak  of  his  mother.  It  is  right,  my  sis- 
ter, that  you  should  thank  God  that  you  are  not  like 
the  daughters  of  shame  whose  presence  defiles  our 
streets.  But  dost  thou  thank  God  ?  "  What  hast  thou 
that  thou  didst  not  receive?"  "Now,  if  thou  didst 
receive  it,  why  dost  thou  therefore  glory  as  though 
thou  hadst  not  received  it?"  Thank  God,  and  not 
yourself. 

The  Pharisee  of  Christ's  day,  as  one  has  said,  could 
not  hold  a  candle  to  the  Pharisee  of  to-day.  The 
New  Testament  Pharisee  said,  "  I  thank  God  that  I 
am  not  as  other  men  are ;"  but  the  nineteenth-century 
Pharisee  knows  that  that  is  not  orthodox;  he  plays 
the  publican,  and  says,  "  God,  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sinner,"  but  remains  as  unhumbled  and  unhealed  as 
ever.  John  McNeill, 

14 


DAY 

vn 


Be  not  drunk  with  wine,  wherein  is  excess,  but  be  filled  with 
the  Spirit.— Eph.  v.  18. 

Evidently  St.  Paul  had  in  mind  a  contrast  between 
the  sensual  effects  of  strong  drink  and  that  divine 
intoxication  which  comes  from  being  filled  with  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

What  are  the  effects  of  alcoholic  inebriation?  An 
expansion  of  vision,  followed  by  blurring  of  sight;  un- 
natural exhibitions  before  the  brain;  great  hilarity, 
followed  by  moroseness;  on  the  muscular  system,  in 
stimulating  to  efforts;  on  the  speech,  in  first  loosing 
the  tongue  and  then  muddling  language. 

How  different  the  effects  of  the  Holy  Spirit!  The 
eyes  see  with  truth  and  power;  the  mind  is  aroused 
to  grand  efforts  of  thought,  the  faculty  of  speech  to 
most  gracious  and  eloquent  utterances;  while  the 
whole  person  is  strengthened  and  the  disposition  at- 
tuned to  the  Spirit  of  Christ. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

The  first  thing  said  of  the  disciples  after  Pente- 
cost was  that  they  were  "  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Whenever  there  was  anything  important  to  be  done, 
it  says,  for  example,  ''Paul,  being  filled  with  the 
Spirit,"  spake  thus;  "Peter,  being  filled  with  the 
Spirit,"  did  this.  It  was  characteristic  of  the  apos- 
tolic church  that  they  were  men  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Is  that  our  privilege?  It  is  not  only  our 
privilege ;  it  is  our  duty.  "  Be  filled  ^^ath  the  Spirit " 
is  a  command.  In  Germany  a  man  was  once  so  holy 
that  the  neighbors  called  him  the  "  God-intoxicated 
man."    We  want  a  God-intoxicated  church. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

15 


DAY 

vm 


The  world  passeth  away,  and  the  lust  thereof:  but  he  that  doeth 
the  will  of  God  abideth  forever.— 1  John  ii.  17. 


There  are  other  thoughts  in  the  Scriptures  that 
catch  men  up  on  glorious  wings  to  show  them  the 
face  of  Him  whose  we  are  and  whom  we  serve;  but 
there  is  no  thought  that  more  transforms  a  man's 
life,  more  floods  over  him  the  transfigured  glory  of 
a  face  touched  once  on  the  mountain-top  years  ago, 
than  the  thought  that  he  can  tie  his  life  up  to  the 
doing  of  the  will  of  God.  Do  you  seek  for  an  object 
in  life?  "I  come  to  do  thy  will,  0  God."  Do  you 
seek  for  food  ?  "  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me."  Do  you  desire  society?  "Whoso- 
ever shall  do  his  will,  the  same  is  my  mother,  and  my 
sister,  and  brother."  Do  you  seek  for  an  education? 
"  Teach  me  to  do  thy  will,  0  God."  Do  you  wish  for 
pleasure ?  "I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  0  God."  Seek- 
est  thou  for  reward?  ''He  that  doeth  the  will  of 
God  abideth  forever."  There  will  be  no  change  for 
him.  When  the  wreck  of  matter  comes,  and  the 
everlasting  heavens  are  folded  up  like  a  garment  and 
laid  away  for  their  last  sleep,  he  will  still  abide. 
Other  things  will  pass  away,  but  he  that  is  doing  the 
will  of  God  is  a  part  now  of  a  life  that  shall  last  for- 
ever, of  that  great,  sweeping,  flowing  life  that  alone 
holds  this  world  steady  with  all  that  is  passing  and 
changing  in  it.  And  by  and  by,  when  other  things 
shall  pass  away,  his  life,  instead  of  grasping  in  itself 
the  things  that  are  laid  aside,  will  find  that  it  has  laid 
hold  of  the  things  that  are  going  to  abide  forever, 
the  things  that  alone  are  worth  the  seeking,  the  lov- 
ing, and  the  aspiring  after. 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

16 


DAY 
IX 


Whatsoever  is  born  of  God  overcometh  the  world:  and  this  is 
the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even  our  faith.— 1  John 
V.4. 

When  a  battle  is  fought,  we  are  all  anxious  to 
know  who  the  victors  are.  There  is  a  battle  in  which 
we  are  all  interested,  and  we  can  prophesy  the  vic- 
tory in  advance.  If  we  are  going  to  get  the  victory 
over  the  world,  we  have  got  to  gain  it  through  Christ. 
I  wouldn't  think  of  talking  to  unconverted  men  about 
overcoming  the  world,  for  it  is  utterly  impossible  for 
them  to  do  it.  A  good  many  Christian  people  think 
of  the  battle  as  already  fought,  the  victory  as  al- 
ready won.  They  have  an  idea  that  all  they  have  to 
do  is  to  put  the  oars  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
and  that  the  current  will  carry  them  into  the  ocean  of 
God's  eternal  love;  but  we  have  got  to  go  against  the 
current.  We  have  got  to  learn  how  to  watch  and 
fight,  and  how  to  overcome.  The  battle  is  not  ended; 
it  has  only  just  commenced.  The  Christian  life  is  a 
conflict,  a  warfare  against  evil,  and  the  quicker  we 
find  it  out  the  better.  D.  L.  Moody. 

Who  is  it  obtains  the  victory  over  the  world?  Is 
it  he  who  is  in  the  midst  of  favorable  circumstances, 
with  nothing  to  draw  him  from  the  right  path?  No; 
the  victorious  man  is  the  man  of  faith— a  faith  in 
God  that  will  overcome  difficulties.  The  more  un- 
favorable our  circumstances,  the  greater  our  joy  and 
reward  if  we  can  stand  up  for  our  blessed  Master 
here  until  the  day  when  we  shall  hear  him  say, 
"  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  king- 
dom prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world."  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

17 


PAY 
X 


The  one  thing  above  all  else  that  God  desires  of 
men  is  worship,  and  yet  there  are  very  few  in  this 
age  who  really  do  worship  God.  The  term  is  used  in 
our  day  in  a  very  vague  and  general  and  unscriptural 
way.  We  speak  of  the  whole  service  of  a  Lord's-day 
morning  or  evening  as  "  public  worship,"  but  there 
is  a  great  deal  in  it  that  is  not  worship.  Reading  the 
Bible  and  meditating  upon  it  may  lead  to  worship,  but, 
in  itself,  is  not  worship.  Listening  to  a  sermon  is  not 
worship.  It  is  often,  I  fear,  the  worship  of  man;  it 
is  not  the  worship  of  God.  It  may  lead  to  worship. 
Praying  is  not  worship;  it  may  be  prefaced  or  con- 
cluded with  worship,  but  prayer  is  not  worship. 
Singing  is  not  necessarily  or  generally  worship. 
There  are  hymns  which,  if  sung  intelligently  and  in 
the  proper  spirit,  would  be  worship,  but  they  are 
comparatively  few,  especially  in  the  hymnology  of  the 
present  day,  which  is  more  taken  up  with  man's  ex- 
perience and  duty  than  with  God  and  his  glory.  The 
worship  of  God  is  the  soul  bowing  down  before  God 
in  absorbed  contemplation  of  himself.  Over  and  over 
do  we  read  in  the  Scriptures,  "They  bowed  their 
heads  and  worshiped,"  or  "  They  fell  down  and  wor- 
shiped." It  has  been  well  said  that  ''  in  prayer  we 
are  occupied  with  our  needs;  in  thanksgiving  we  are 
occupied  with  our  blessings;  in  worship  we  are  oc- 
cupied with  himself."  God  would  not  have  us  less 
occupied  with  our  needs  or  present  them  less  to  him; 
neither  would  he  have  us  less  occupied  with  our 
thanksgiving,  or  return  thanks  less  to  him  for  them; 
but  he  would  have  us,  I  am  sure,  more  occupied  with 
himself  in  intelligent  worship.         R.  A.  Torrey. 

18 


DAY 
XI 


When  a  man  asks  me  why  I  believe  in  miracles,  I 
answer,  "Because  I  have  seen  them."  He  asks, 
"When?"  I  reply,  "Yesterday."  "Where?"  "In 
such  and  such  a  place  I  saw  a  man  who  had  been  a 
drunkard  redeemed  by  the  power  of  an  unseen  Christ, 
and  saved  from  sin.  That  was  a  miracle."  The  best 
argument  for  Christianity  is  a  Christian.  That  is  a 
fact  which  men  cannot  get  over.  There  are  fifty 
other  arguments  for  miracles,  but  none  so  good  as 
that  you  have  seen  them.  Perhaps  you  are  one 
yourself.  Show  a  man  a  miracle  with  his  own  eyes, 
and  if  he  is  not  too  hardened  he  will  believe. 

Henry  Drummond. 

Sir  Isaac  Newton  had  a  great  intellect,  but  when 
he  thought  it  necessary  to  cut  two  holes  in  his  barn 
door— a  big  hole  for  the  big  cat  and  a  little  hole  for 
the  little  cat— then  he  did  not  display  any  great 
amount  of  genius.  Establish  the  great  miracle,  and 
the  lesser  miracles  will  take  care  of  themselves.  If 
the  resurrection  of  Christ  took  place,  then  all  the 
other  miracles  become  possible,  and  the  history  of 
the  Christian  church  is  exactly  w^hat  you  would  ex- 
pect; if  it  did  not  take  place,  then  Christianity,  the 
most  stupendous  fact  in  history,  stands  to-day  con- 
fessedly upon  a  falsehood,  inexplicable,  and  mth  no 
possibility  of  a  solution.  Now  whether  is  easier, 
to  believe  that  Jesus  did  not  rise  from  the  dead,  or 
to  believe,  in  virtue  of  the  congruous  history  follow- 
ing the  story  of  his  resurrection,  and  of  the  specific 
testimony  to  the  resurrection,  and  the  antecedent 
presumption  in  favor  of  his  resurrection,  that  he  did 
rise  from  the  dead? 

Francis  L.  Patton. 

19 


DAY 

xn 


The  flesh  lusteth  against  the  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  against  the 
flesh;  for  these  are  contrary  the  one  to  the  other;  that  ye  may 
not  do  the  things  that  ye  [otherwise]  would.— Gal.  v.  17. 

In  the  best  men  there  is  a  tendency  to  do  certain 
things  they  ought  not,  but  the  more  they  are  filled 
with  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  more  it  is  true  of  them  that 
they  are  kept  from  doing  what  otherwise  they  would. 

When  I  was  a  boy,  I  used  to  go  to  the  Polytechnic 
in  London,  where  my  favorite  diversion  was  a  diving- 
bell,  which  had  seats  around  the  rim,  and  which  at  a 
given  time  was  filled  with  people  and  lowered  into  a 
tank.  We  used  to  go  down  deeper,  deeper  into  the 
water,  but  not  a  drop  ever  came  into  that  diving- 
bell,  though  it  had  no  bottom  and  the  water  was  quite 
within  reach,  because  the  bell  was  so  full  of  air  that, 
though  the  water  lusted  against  the  air,  the  air  lusted 
against  the  water,  because  air  was  being  pumped  in 
all  the  time  from  the  top,  and  the  water  could  not 
do  what  it  otherwise  would  do.  If  you  are  full  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  the  flesh  life  is  underneath  you,  and 
though  it  would  surge  up,  it  is  kept  out. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

We  should  all  condemn  sin,  as  God  condemns  it, 
the  moment  we  see  it.  It  is  in  ourselves,  though 
sometimes  it  is  hid  from  us.  It  may  be  some  hidden 
sin  that  keeps  God  from  using  us  more.  Let  us  be 
honest  with  God.  Let  David's  prayer  be  ours: 
"Search  me,  0  God"— not  my  neighbors,  nor  other 
people,  but  "  Search  me  I " 

D.  L.  Moody. 


20 


DAY 

xm 


If  a  man  therefore  purge  himself  from  these,  he  shall  be  a 
vessel  unto  honor,  sanctified,  and  meet  for  the  master's  use,  and 
prepared  unto  every  good  work.— 2  Tim.  ii.  21. 


No  matter  what  kind  of  a  vessel  a  man  may  be  in 
natural  gifts,  whether  of  gold,  silver,  or  merely- 
earthen,  if  he  purge  himself  he  shall  be  a  vessel 
unto  honor. 

Sometimes  we  see  a  speaker  who  has  brilliant  gifts, 
but  who  is  full  of  defilement  or  heresy,  and  we  say, 
"  If  that  man  were  only  converted,  what  a  power  he 
would  be ! "  Another  man,  who  is  a  believer,  may  not 
glitter  with  natural  endowments;  yet,  if  he  will  purge 
himself  and  become  thoroughly  sanctified,  he  may  be 
of  far  greater  service :  he  may  be  so  used  that  thou- 
sands will  bless  him.  God  will  use  a  vessel  of  wood 
or  earth,  if  it  is  made  m.eet  for  His  use,  as  readily  as 
one  of  gold  or  silver.  No  matter  what  the  vessel  is, 
see  that  it  is  clean.  George  C.  Needham. 


Christians  are  apt  to  fall  into  two  mistakes.  One 
class  regard  sanctification  or  consecration  entirely 
with  reference  to  the  personal  life;  they  seek  simply 
personal  holiness.  They  are  always  viewing  them- 
selves, and  trying  to  determine  whether  they  have 
reached  perfect  sanctification,  to  the  exclusion  of 
thought  about  service.  Others  seek  consecration 
only  for  service,  and,  in  the  midst  of  their  arduous 
and  busy  work,  neglect  their  personal  life.  We 
need  both  kinds  of  consecration— purifying  and  em- 
powering. George  F.  Pentecost. 

21 


DAY 
XIV 

Whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son 
whom  he  receiveth.— Heb.  xii.  6. 

Suppose  that  away  in  South  Africa  there  is  a 
woman  whose  husband  had  gone  on  a  long  journey 
into  the  interior.  He  is  to  be  away  for  months,  cut 
off  from  all  postal  communications.  The  wife  is  very 
anxious  to  receive  news.  In  months  she  has  had  no 
letter  or  tidings  from  him.  One  day,  as  she  stands 
in  her  door,  there  comes  a  great,  savage  Kafir, 
carrying  his  spears  and  shield,  and  with  a  terrible 
face.  The  woman  is  frightened,  and  she  rushes  into 
the  house  and  closes  the  door.  He  knocks  at  the 
door,  and  she  is  in  terror.  She  sends  her  servant, 
who  comes  back  and  says,  "The  man  says  he  must 
see  you."  She  goes  all  affrighted.  He  takes  out  an 
old  newspaper,  which  he  has  brought  from  her  hus- 
band, and  inside  the  dirty  newspaper  she  finds  a  letter 
from  her  husband  telling  her  of  his  welfare.  How 
that  wife  delights  in  that  letter!  she  forgets  the  face 
that  has  terrified  her.  Weeks  pass  away  again,  and 
she  begins  to  long  for  that  ugly  Kafir  messenger. 
After  long  waiting  he  comes  again,  and  this  time  she 
rushes  out  to  meet  him  because  he  is  the  messenger 
from  the  beloved  husband,  and  she  knows  that,  with 
all  his  repelling  exterior,  he  is  the  bearer  of  a 
message  of  love. 

Beloved,  have  you  learned  to  look  at  tribulation 
and  vexation  and  disappointment  as  the  dark,  savage- 
looking  messenger,  with  a  spear  in  his  hand,  that 
comes  straight  from  Jesus?  Have  you  learned  to 
say,  "  There  is  never  a  trouble  by  which  my  heart  is 
touched,  or  even  pierced,  but  it  comes  from  Jesus, 
and  brings  a  message  of  love"? 

Andrew  Murray. 


DAY 
XV 


There  hath  no  temptation  taken  you  but  such  as  is  common  to 
man:  but  God  is  faithful,  who  will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted 
above  that  ye  are  able;  but  will  with  the  temptation  also  make  a 
way  to  escape,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  bear  it.— 1  Cor.  x.  13. 


Solitude  has  its  temptations  as  well  as  society. 
St.  Anthony  of  Egypt,  before  his  conversion,  was  a 
gay  and  fast  young  man  of  Alexandria,  and  when  he 
was  converted  he  found  the  temptations  of  the  city 
so  intolerable  that  he  fled  into  the  Egyptian  desert 
and  became  a  hermit;  but  he  afterward  confessed 
that  the  temptations  of  a  cell  in  the  wilderness  were 
worse  than  those  of  the  city.  It  would  not  be  safe 
to  exchange  our  temptations  for  those  of  another 
man;  every  one  has  his  o\vn. 

The  attraction  of  temptation  is  overcome  by  a 
counter-attraction.  The  love  of  Christ  in  the  heart 
destroys  the  love  of  sin,  and  the  new  song  of  salvation 
enables  us  to  despise  the  siren  song  of  temptation 
and  pass  it  by.  That  man  alone  is  really  safe  who, 
as  he  sails  the  seas  of  life,  carries  on  board  the 
divine  Orpheus,  whose  heavenly  music  is  daily  sound- 
ing in  his  soul. 

James  Stalker. 


The  nearer  you  live  in  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  the  more  keen  you  are  to  notice  the  approach 
of  temptation  and  the  more  prepared  you  are  to 
reckon  yourself  dead  to  the  world  of  sin  and  lust. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 


23 


DAY 
XVI 


Many  say, ''  I  heard  of  this  life  of  rest  when  I  was 
in  bondage  to  the  world,  and  I  came  back,  made  a 
covenant,  and  took  possession  of  what  I  thought  was 
the  land  of  Jerusalem,— the  city  of  peace,— but  it 
has  never  been  a  blessing  to  me.  What  is  wrong  in 
my  consecration?  I  gave  myself  to  God,  looked  for 
power;  I  pleaded  for  the  fullness  of  the  Spirit,  asked 
for  a  baptism;  I  thought  I  had  something,  but  it  never 
came  to  anything."  Brethren,  the  trouble  is  this: 
you  have  been  too  much  concerned  for  yourself  in- 
stead of  being  concerned  with  the  Lord  God  Almighty 
and  his  work.  Remember  those  striking  words,  the 
idea  of  which  occurs  so  repeatedly  in  the  epistles, 
"  Whether  ye  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  ye  do,  do 
all  to  the  glory  of  God."  You  ate  and  drank  that 
you  might  get  strong;  you  ate  and  drank  that  you 
might  get  rich  and  fat  in  spiritual  things;  perhaps 
you  took  work  for  the  Lord  that  you  might  be  pow- 
erful; you  entered  upon  the  position  which  the  Lord 
accorded  to  you  that  you  might  become  great  in  the 
eyes  of  men,  and  it  has  been  one  long  failure. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

Many  Christians  wonder  that  they  fail;  but  look  at 
the  readiness  with  which  they  talk  on  any  subject, 
and  never  think  that  all  that  may  be  dissipating  the 
soul's  power,  and  leading  them  to  spend  hours  not  in 
the  immediate  presence  of  God.  I  fear  the  great 
difficulty  is  that  we  are  not  willing  to  make  the 
needed  sacrifice  for  a  life  of  continual  waiting  upon 
God. 

Andrew  Murray. 

24 


DAY 

xvn 

The  moment  that  Moses  came  to  years  of  discre- 
tion we  read  that  he  "  refused  to  be  called  the  son 
of  Pharaoh's  daughter."  Take  that  as  the  starting- 
point  of  the  life  of  service.  If  your  circumstances 
are  making  it  impossible  for  you  to  carry  out  what 
would  otherwise  be  the  will  of  God,  then  drop  your 
circumstances  as  Moses  did;  it  rests  with  you  to 
do  it.  Refuse  any  longer  to  be  called  the  son  of 
Pharaoh's  daughter.  You  have  been  in  the  courts 
of  men;  you  may  have  stood  high  in  the  favor  of  the 
people  of  this  world,  and  your  heirship  may  look  ex- 
ceedingly brilliant.  You  must  choose  whether  you 
will  take  the  heavenly  inheritance  or  the  earthly. 
There  comes  a  point  in  every  man's  history  when,  if 
he  wishes  to  be  a  sanctified  vessel,  meet  for  the 
Master's  use,  he  must  decide  to  drop  ever}i;hing  that 
prevents  a  holy  career  and  a  life  of  perfect  service 
among  the  people  of  the  Lord.  Would  the  devil  be 
what  he  is  if  he  did  not  gild  his  bullets,  and  if  he 
did  not  find  something  to  boast  of  to  offset  the  glo- 
rious attractions  of  heaven?  Of  course  Pharaoh's 
court,  with  all  its  grandeur,  its  learning,  its  talent, 
its  science,  its  magnificent  prospects  and  possibilities 
and  power,  attracts  men,  and  they  are  dra^^^l  into  its 
snare.  Moses,  the  servant  of  God,  calculated  well, 
and  he  concluded  that  it  would  be  better  to  endure 
the  reproach  of  Christ  than  to  have  all  the  treasures 
of  Egypt.  Put  the  two  side  by  side,  the  things  of 
the  world  in  one  scale-pan,  and  the  things  of  God  in 
the  other,  and  see  which  kicks  the  beam.  Make 
your  calculation,  and  say  deliberately,  "  I  esteem  the 
reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures 
of  the  world." 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

25 


Lord,  help  me.— Matt.  xv.  25. 

There  is  a  chain  of  but  three  links  in  this  prayer 
of  the  poor  woman  of  Canaan,  but  it  reaches  a  long 
way.  Some  of  the  most  beautiful  prayers  ever  ut- 
tered are  very  short  prayers.  This  is  a  very  short 
prayer— any  child  can  say  it.  There  are  three  links 
in  the  chain,  mark  you.  One  link  is  on  the  throne 
of  God;  it  is  "Lord."  The  other  link  is  down  here; 
it  is  "  me."  And  then  there  is  a  great  link  between 
that  and  this;  it  is  "  help."  "  Lord,  help  me."  And 
the  greater  your  need,  the  more  that  middle  link  in 
the  chain  will  express.  Marcus  Rainsford. 

Long  prayers  kill  a  prayer-meeting.  See  how 
short  are  the  prayers  recorded  in  the  Bible.  "  Lord, 
help  me,"  is  one.  "Lord,  save,  or  I  perish,"  is 
another.  Why,  a  man  said  that  if  Peter  had  had  as 
long  a  preamble  as  men  put  into  prayers  nowadays, 
he  would  have  been  forty  feet  under  water  before 
he  would  have  got  as  far  as  the  petition  for  rescue. 
Prayer  is  asking  God  for  something,  and  you  can  ask 
it  in  a  few  words.  If  a  man  will  pray  fifteen  minutes 
in  a  prayer-meeting,  he  will  pray  all  the  spirituality 
out  of  it.  Fd  rather  have  a  man  pray  three  times, 
and  only  five  minutes  at  a  time,  than  to  have  him 
take  fifteen  minutes  all  at  once.       D.  L.  Moody. 

If  we  had  prayed  more  we  need  not  have  worked 
so  hard.  We  have  too  little  praying  face  to  face 
with  God  every  day.  Looking  back  at  the  end  I 
suspect  there  will  be  great  grief  for  our  sins  of 
omission— omission  to  get  from  God  what  we  might 
have  got  by  praying.  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

26 


DAY 
XIX 


Buy  the  truth,  and  sell  it  not.— Prov.  xxiii.  23. 

The  royal  diamonds  of  England  cost  much,  but 
they  are  not  for  sale.  The  merchantman  who  found 
the  pearl  of  great  price  sold  all  he  had  that  he  might 
buy  it,  but  it  was  never  on  the  market  again;  he 
would  not  sell  it.  So  with  truth.  The  Christian, 
especially  the  preacher,  should  be  willing  to  pay  any 
price  for  it,  but  it  should  not  be  for  sale.  No  in- 
ducement should  lead  him  to  give  up  one  jot  or  tittle 
of  truth,  moral,  religious,  or  experimental.  It  often 
costs  no  little  for  a  man  to  be  honest  and  truthful; 
to  contend  "for  the  faith  once  for  all  delivered  to 
the  saints";  to  get  the  living  truth,  which  he  can 
learn  only  in  the  school  of  trial;  but  he  should  be 
willing  to  pay  the  price  for  it.    It  is  worth  all  it  costs. 

A.  C.  Dixon. 

An  eagle  carrying  a  serpent  in  its  talons  to  its  nest 
on  the  mountain  was  bitten  to  the  heart,  and  fell  to 
the  ground.  Have  you  ever  seen  a  man  or  woman  in 
the  church  fall  in  the  same  way?  You  do  not  know 
the  secret  of  the  fall,  but  the  omniscient  eye  of  God 
saw  it.  That  neglect  of  prayer,  that  secret  dishon- 
esty in  business,  that  stealthy  indulgence  in  the 
intoxicating  cup,  that  licentiousness  and  profligacy 
unseen  of  men,  that  secret  tampering  with  unbelief 
and  error,  was  the  serpent  at  the  heart  that  brought 
the  eagle  down. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 


27 


XX  ^^J^iitil^ 

They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firma- 
ment; and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars 
for  ever  and  ever.— Dan.  xii.  3. 

Ecclesiastical  orders  and  titles  count  for  nothing 
in  the  kingdom  of  God.  Christ's  reward  is  not  to  a 
titled  clergy  as  such,  but  to  "  teachers  "  of  the  law 
and  the  promise.  It  is  not  to  fruitless  preachers, 
but  to  "  turners  of  many  to  righteousness."  There 
is  a  glory  in  the  kingdom  for  all,  no  matter  how 
varied  or  numerous  they  are.  God's  temple  rests  on 
many  pillars.  God's  garden  has  many  flowers.  God's 
music  has  many  notes.  God's  sky  has  many  stars, 
though  differing  one  from  another  in  glory.  A  glory 
belongs  to  Christ,  the  central  sun,  that  none  of  us 
may  claim  as  our  own.  Another  glory  belongs  to 
the  church,  the  moon,  that  none  of  us  may  inherit, 
a  borrowed  splendor  that  covers  the  whole  company 
of  saints.  But  there  is  glory  that  belongs  to  the 
individual "  glitterers  "  of  the  firmament,  different  in 
degree;  and  it  is  ours  so  to  turn  many  to  righteous- 
ness as  that  neither  Alcyone's  sheen,  nor  the  stars 
that  burn  in  Orion's  belt,  shall  surpass  our  brightness 
in  the  resurrection  of  the  just.  What  a  miracle  of 
splendor  that  will  be  when  sun,  moon,  and  stars  all 
shine  in  the  firmament  at  the  same  time!  We  shall 
each  have  our  o\\ti  peculiar  glory  while  yet  lost  in 
the  "  Greater  Light"  who  rules  that  golden  day;  for 
"the  righteous  shall  shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the 
kingdom  of  their  Father."  The  splendor  of  Christ 
will  augment,  not  quench,  our  own.  The  clear  gleam 
of  the  saints  will  be  both  physical  and  spiritual— 
nothing  less  than  the  glory  of  Christ  himself.  This 
is  the  reward  which  they  shall  have  forever  for  their 
brief  moment  of  work  and  suffering  here  on  earth. 

Nathaniel  West. 
28 


DAY 
XXI 

And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee  the  only 
true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  thou  hast  sent.— John  xvii.  3. 

Why  do  not  God's  people  know  their  God?  For 
this  reason.  They  take  anything  rather  than  God, 
—ministers  and  preaching  and  books  and  prayers 
and  work  and  effort,— any  exertion  of  human  nature 
instead  of  waiting  until  God  reveals  himself.  .  .  . 

Give  God  his  place.  Begin  in  your  prayer.  The 
power  of  prayer  depends  almost  entirely  upon  my 
apprehension  of  who  it  is  with  whom  I  speak.  Take 
time,  and  get  a  sight  of  this  great  God  in  his  power, 
in  his  love,  in  his  nearness,  waiting  to  bless  you. 
Before  and  above  everything,  take  time  ere  you  pray 
to  value  the  glory  and  presence  of  God.  What  a 
wonderful  thing  our  church  services  and  conventions 
would  be  if  all  the  worshipers  were  waiting  upon 
God,  determined  to  let  God  have  his  place !  I  cannot 
fully  give  God  his  place  upon  the  throne,  for  I  can- 
not realize  what  that  place  is;  but  God  will  increas- 
ingly reveal  himself  and  the  place  he  holds.  I  know 
about  the  sun  because  I  see  its  light.  No  philosopher 
could  have  told  me  about  the  sun  if  the  sun  did  not 
shine.  No  power  of  meditation  and  thought  can 
grasp  the  presence  of  God.  Be  quiet  and  trust  and 
rest,  and  the  everlasting  God  will  shine  into  your 
hearts,  and  will  reveal  himself. 

The  abiding  presence  of  God  is  the  heritage  of 
every  child  of  God.  The  Father  never  hides  his  face 
from  his  child.  Sin  hides  it,  and  unbelief  hides  it; 
but  the  Father  lets  his  love  shine  all  the  day  on  the 
face  of  his  children.  The  sun  is  shining  day  and 
night.  Your  sun  shall  never  go  do\vn.  Come  and 
live  in  the  presence  of  God. 

Andrew  Murray. 


DAY 

xxn 


Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  crea- 
ture.—Mark  xvi.  15. 


Christ  never  told  his  disciples  to  stay  at  home  and 
wait  for  sinners  to  come  to  them. 

Every  Christian  of  every  age  and  calling  is  ap- 
pointed an  ambassador  for  Christ. 

The  gospel  is  to  be  preached  to  "  every  creature." 
This  means  personal,  hand-to-hand  contact  with  the 
unsaved— man  to  man,  and  woman  to  woman.  Look 
through  the  Scriptures,  and  you  will  be  surprised  to 
see  how  much  springs  out  of  interviews  with  single 
persons.  The  call  is  to  you  personally,  and  summons 
you  to  personal  dealing  in  the  name  of  Christ  with 
every  creature  in  the  range  of  your  influence.  No 
matter  how  low,  no  matter  how  foul,  a  man  or  woman 
may  be,  no  matter  how  forgotten  by  the  world,  your 
Master  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost,  and  you  are 
his  appointed  instrument  to  proclaim  his  mercy. 
Christ  does  not  say,  "Go  and  address  great  multi- 
tudes;" but  he  does  say,  "  Go  and  preach  the  gospel 
to  every  creature."  In  looking  at  some  apparently 
hopeless  case,  you  may  be  tempted  to  think,  "  Oh, 
some  creatures  are  hardly  worth  saving."  But  how 
do  you  know  that  from  that  very  one  a  rich  tribute 
of  praise  may  not  arise  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ? 
In  these  4ays  Christ  may  seem  to  us  to  be  working 
in  a  very  strange  way,  when  he  is  taking  up  pugilists, 
thieves,  and  illiterate  and  outcast  men,  and  using 
them  to  bear  testimony  to  the  power  of  his  grace. 
It  is  no  concern  of  ours  whether  the  creatures  with 
whom  we  deal  are  prepossessing  or  not.  The  com- 
mand is  to  "  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 

James  H.  Brookes. 

30 


DAY 

xxm 

Thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood.— 
Rev.  V.  9. 

We  have  been  redeemed  to  God.  It  is  a  great 
thing  to  be  redeemed  from  sin,  from  Satan,  from  this 
present  evil  world,  from  death;  but  suppose  that  re- 
demption stopped  there  ?  Suppose  that  God  had  said, 
"  Now  you  are  out  of  your  difficulties;  make  the  best 
of  it."  Suppose  that,  after  taking  Israel  out  of 
Eg3rpt,  God  had  left  them  in  the  wilderness.  No; 
he  has  redeemed  us  to  himself,  to  sweet  and  blessed 
relations  with  him;  to  heaven;  to  the  companionship 
of  high  and  holy  intelligences;  to  the  nearest  place  in 
his  heart;  to  dominion  with  him  over  all  the  universe. 
There  is  where  we  lose  communion.  We  realize  what 
we  are  redeemed  and  delivered /rom,  but  we  often  do 
not  apprehend  what  we  are  redeemed  and  delivered 
to.  If  we  did,  we  should  not  be  troubled  with  that 
backward  look  upon  what  we  are  leaving  that  keeps 
us  in  bondage.  We  would  seek  the  things  that  are 
above.  George  F.  Pentecost. 

We  are  sinful  creatures,  and  our  holiest  service 
can  only  be  accepted  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
When  we  walk  in  the  light,  as  he  is  in  the  light,  and 
are  having  unbroken  fellowship  with  God,  and  God 
with  us,  it  is  because  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his 
Son  is  cleansing  us  from  all  sin.  No  holy  service  is 
a  ground  of  acceptance  with  God.  Christ  alone  is 
that  ground.  On  the  other  hand,  the  fact  that  our 
holiest  things  need  to  be  accepted  through  Christ  is 
no  reason  why  we  should  neglect  to  be  holy.  Though 
sinful  creatures,  we  must  not  be  sinning  creatures— 
a  very  different  thing  indeed. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 

31 


DAY 
XXIV 


0  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me:  never- 
theless, not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt.— Matt.  xxvi.  39. 

Every  man  who  has  come  to  the  point  where  he 
can  swallow  a  bitter  cup  because  he  can  feel  the 
breath  of  Christ  on  it,  and  who  can  say  from  his 
heart,  "  Thy  will,  not  mine,  be  done,"  has  reached  the 
highest  point  which  he  can  reach. 

The  core  principle  of  Christianity  is  what?  Faith? 
No;  more  than  that,  deeper  yet  than  that;  the  core 
principle  of  practical  Christianity  is  obedience— 
obedience  to  Jesus  Christ.  The  core  principle  in 
the  commonwealth  is  obedience  to  law;  the  core 
principle  in  every  well-regulated  family  is  obedience 
to  parental  authority.  I  am  afraid  there  is  not  so 
much  of  that  old  filial  spirit  as  there  used  to  be. 
When  a  boy  has  learned  the  difference  between  "  you 
may"  and  "you  must,"  that  boy  has  the  first  start 
in  genuine  manhood.  Obedience  is  the  first  and  the 
great  thing  in  this  school  of  life  in  which  the  Master 
has  placed  us.  Has  not  the  Master  said,  *'  If  ye  love 
me,  keep  my  commandments  "  ?  The  motto  for  every 
Christian  should  be,  "Find  out  w^hat  Jesus  Christ 
wants  you  to  do,  and  then  do  it." 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

To  the  child  of  God,  yearning  for  holiness,  there 
is  something  exceedingly  precious  and  delightful  in 
approaching  a  command  that  seems  to  be  naturally 
impossible;  because  he  realizes  that  the  Lord  gave 
the  Word,  and  that  it  is  for  the  Lord  to  make  possi- 
ble of  fulfilment  in  his  child  that  which  he  commands. 
Surely  we  can  say  with  Augustine,  "  Give  what  thou 
commandest,  and  then  command  what  thou  wilt." 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 
32 


Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give,— Matt.  x.  8. 

Do  not  be  afraid  to  call  on  the  Lord's  people  to 
give.  I  know  they  sometimes  complain.  "  Oh,"  they 
say,  "it  is  all  the  time  give,  give,  give!  You  are 
always  poking  under  our  noses  a  collection-box  or  a 
hat."  Remind  them  that  on  the  side  of  the  Lord  it  is 
always  give,  give,  give  to  them.  It  might  help  par- 
simonious Christians  to  look  a  little  over  their  ac- 
count with  the  Lord.    It  would  stand  somewhat  thus: 

Brother  John  Smith  in  account  with  his  Master,  the  Lord 
of  the  whole  earth. 

Dr. 
To  10  showers  of  rain  on  his  fields  at  $25 

per  shower,  $250.00 

2  extra  showers  at  a  critical  period,  $50 

each,  ■  100.00 

60  days  of  sunshine  at  $5,  300.00 


$650.00 

Cr. 

;r  contra: 

By  given  for  pastor's  salary, 

$10.00 

Home  missions, 

.25 

Foreign  Missions, 

.10 

$10.35 

Showing  a  heavy  balance  against  Brother  John  Smith, 
and  it  would  be  heavy  even  if  he  had  given  ten  times 
as  much,  for  the  farm  is  the  Lord's.  He  prepared 
its  chemical  constituents  so  as  to  make  it  a  farm  at 
all  rather  than  a  patch  of  desert,  and  he,  too,  planted 
the  forest  from  which  John  Smith  gets  the  fuel  for 
his  fires.  William  Ashmore. 


DAY 
XXVI 


Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  temple  of  God,  and  that  the  Spirit 
of  God  dwelleth  in  you?— 1  Cor.  iii.  16. 


The  Jews'  temple  was  an  architectural  triumph  of 
marvelous  beauty  and  wondrous  magnificence.  We 
are  likened  to  it,  and  told  that  every  believer  is  a 
dwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  What  the  indwelling 
power  of  the  Spirit  is  may  be  seen  in  Moses'  rod. 
The  rod  was  a  common,  insignificant  stick,— a  bit  of 
acacia,— but  when  it  was  linked  with  the  power  of 
God  it  could  do  mighty  works. 

How  quickly  that  power  comes!  The  woman  at 
the  well  in  Samaria  went  and  told  of  Christ  in  the 
power  of  the  Spirit,  and  immediately  there  was  a 
great  revival.  A  noted  gambler  in  Chicago  was  con- 
verted. His  prayer  to  God  was  in  gamblers'  slang, 
but  God  knew  what  he  meant,  and  received  him. 
The  man  thought  he  ought  to  do  something  in  his 
Master's  service.  He  told  his  story;  God  blessed  it; 
and  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit  he  has  been  telling  it 
ever  since,  with  wonderful  success.  He  has  won  more 
souls  than  any  man  in  my  church.  If  the  world 
wants  anything,  it  wants  men  and  women  set  apart 
to  God,  filled  with  the  Spirit,  and  ready  to  be  used. 

E.  P.  Goodwin. 

Are  we  living  habitually  in  such  nearness  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  that  the  gentlest  intimation  of  his  wish 
comes  to  us  with  the  force  of  a  command,  and  with 
the  consciousness  that,  some  way  or  other,  it  is  pos- 
sible to  obey,  and  that  we  shall  be  carried  through 
in  any  service  to  which  he  calls  us? 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 

34 


DAY 

xxvn 


He  satisfieth  the  longing  soul.— Psalm  c%ii.  9. 

What  would  satisfy  you  in  regard  to  religion  if  you 
wrote  out  a  catalogue  of  everything  which  you  felt 
you  could  desire,  or  above  all  that  you  can  ask  or 
think?  Would  you  not  wTite  do\vii  at  the  very  be- 
ginning, "Peace  with  God,  so  that  I  should  not  be 
afraid  of  him  "  ?  You  know  in  your  hearts  that  that 
is  supplied  by  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ  on  the 
cross.  You  have  but  to  say,  ''Amen;  thank  God,  it 
is  true.   I  believe  it." 

Then  would  you  not  \NTite  down,  "  Constant  keep- 
ing from  all  evil,  and  the  supply  of  every  need"? 
The  Bible  is  full  of  that  blessed  truth  at  every  point: 
the  keeping  Christ,  the  pro\iding  Lord,  the  comfort- 
ing Friend,  the  everlasting  Portion  of  God's  people. 
WTiatever  you  \\ish,  there  stands  the  living  God,  and 
says,  I  AM.  God  must  give;  he  cannot  \nthhold;  he 
would  not  be  God,  any  more  than  a  fountain  would 
be  a  fountain,  if  he  were  not  perpetually  pouring  out 
his  fullness  upon  all  the  universe. 

Suppose  that  you  say,  "  I  want  a  future  that  is 
clear  and  full  of  provision  for  eternity."  The  Lord 
is  our  everlasting  Portion;  the  great  God  is  ever  say- 
ing, I  AM,  and  what  more  can  men  require  for  the 
future  ?  The  past  and  the  present  and  the  future  are 
all  set  before  us  in  the  living  God  as  being  completely 
and  everlastingly  supplied.  And  yet  how  many  souls 
are  satisfied  in  Christ,  how  many  could  say  that  they 
have  found  in  him  everything  that  their  souls  desire  ? 
Not  many,  I  fear.     Whose  fault  is  it? 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

35 


DAY 

xxvm 


A  good  many  Christians  are  kept  back  from  wholly 
surrendering  themselves  to  God  from  fear  lest  he  will 
ask  them  to  do  something  hard  and  disagreeable. 
They  think  that  there  will  then  be  no  knowing  what 
he  may  do  with  them,  or  what  their  friends  may 
think  of  them. 

Suppose  that  a  child  who  had  been  wayward  and 
wilful  were  to  come  and  say  to  a  wise  and  loving 
parent,  "Father,  from  to-day  I  will  let  mother  and 
you  choose  my  life;  you  shall  choose  my  companions, 
my  amusements,  and  my  books."  Would  that  father 
say  to  the  mother,  "  Now,  wife,  here  is  a  chance  to 
torment  our  child.  What  dress  does  she  detest, 
what  companions  does  she  hate,  what  books  does  she 
eschew?  Let  us  select  these  and  pile  them  into  her 
life."  Of  course  he  would  not;  he  would  only  take 
from  the  child  the  things  that  were  really  cursing 
her,  as  a  cancer  might  curse  a  healthy  body,  and 
then  he  would  crowd  her  life  with  all  that  would 
make  it  one  long  summer  day  of  bliss.  Will  Christ, 
who  died  for  me,  do  worse? 

Friends,  you  may  trust  him.  He  means  to  do  the 
best  for  you,  and  the  only  thing  which  can  curse  and 
blast  your  life  is  to  get  out  of  God's  hands.  When 
George  Stephenson  was  trying  to  pass  his  bill  for 
railways  in  England,  a  peer  said  to  him,  "Suppose 
that  a  cow  were  to  get  on  the  line  when  one  of  your 
newfangled  engines  was  on  the  road?"  "So  much 
the  worse  for  the  coo ! "  said  he.  If  you  get  into 
collision  with  God,  it  is  so  much  the  worse  for 
you.  "Woe  to  the  man  that  strive th  with  his 
Maker! "  Do  not  let  the  devil  cheat  you  out  of  your 
inheritance. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 
36 


DAY 
XXIX 


We  find  no  difficulty  in  distinguishing  between  the 
works  of  God  and  the  works  of  man.  God's  works 
are  absolutely  perfect ;  man's  are  only  relatively  so. 
The  most  perfect  needle  may  be  perfect  for  the  work 
to  which  it  is  adapted;  but  make  it  a  microscopic 
object,  and  the  smooth  hole  appears  ragged  and  the 
needle  becomes  a  honeycombed  poker.  Take,  on  the 
contrary,  a  hair  from  the  leg  of  a  fly,  or  the  dust 
from  a  butterfly's  wing.  Magnify  these,  and  they 
are  seen  to  be  absolutely  perfect. 

Now  there  is  no  more  difficulty  in  recognizing  the 
Word  of  God  from  the  word  of  man  than  there  is  in 
recognizing  the  work  of  God  from  the  work  of  man. 
You  need  the  minute  examination  and  the  anointed 
eye  that  can  perceive  its  beauties,  which  do  not  lie 
on  the  surface.  In  this  way  God's  Word  contains  the 
best  evidence  of  its  own  inspiration.  It  could  not 
have  been  forged  or  manufactured. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 


My  friends,  you  needn't  borrow  any  trouble  about 
the  old  Book;  it  is  going  to  stand.  Some  people 
think  it  is  a  ''back  num.ber";  you  and  I  will  become 
back  numbers,  but  this  Book  is  going  to  remain. 
The  Word  of  God  is  just  lighting  up  the  nations  of 
the  earth.  Some  one  asked  a  young  convert  how  he 
could  believe  that  the  Bible  was  inspired.  He  said, 
"  Because  it  inspires  me."  That  is  a  short  cut  to  in- 
spiration. I  would  doubt  my  existence  as  quickly  as 
I  would  doubt  the  truth  of  that  Book. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

37 


DAY 
XXX 


But  if  the  Spirit  of  him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead 
dwell  in  you,  he  that  raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead  shall  also 
quicken  your  mortal  bodies  by  his  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  you.— 
Rom.  viii.  11. 


Everywhere  the  Holy  Spirit  stands  related  to  Jesus 
Christ.  Howwas  Jesus  begotten?  The  angel  Gabriel 
said  to  Mary,  "  The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee, 
and  the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee : 
therefore  also  that  holy  thing  which  shall  be  born  of 
thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God."  How  did  Jesus 
receive  the  enduement  of  power?  "  Jesus  also  having 
been  baptized,  and  praying,  the  heaven  was  opened, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  ...  as  a  dove  upon 
him."  Ask  how  he  wTOught  miracles,  and  I  answer 
in  his  o\vn  words:  "I  by  the  Spirit  of  God  cast  out 
devils."  How  did  he  complete  the  work  of  atone- 
ment? "Who  through  the  eternal  Spirit  offered 
himself  without  spot  to  God."  How  did  he  give  the 
great  commission?  I  reply  in  the  language  of  the 
Acts:  "After  that  he  through  the  Holy  Ghost  had 
given  commandments  unto  the  apostles."  How  was 
he  raised  from  the  dead?  He  was  "declared  to  be 
the  Son  of  God  with  power,  according  to  the  Spirit 
of  holiness,  by  the  resurrection  from  the  dead." 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

The  answer  of  God  to  the  heartfelt,  sincere  sur- 
render of  the  whole  being  to  the  possession  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  filling  of  the  whole  man,  spirit,  soul,  and 
body,  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  How  insignificant  in 
comparison  the  human  side,  and  yet  how  unspeak- 
ably important,  since  the  fullness  of  the  Spirit's 
presence  depends  upon  it!  C.  I.  Scofield. 

88 


DAY 
XXXI 

My  soul,  wait  thou  only  upon  God;  for  my  expectation  is  from 
him.— Psalm  Ixii.  5. 

There  is  no  joy  like  the  joy  of  communion.  Living 
apart  from  God  is  misery.  Look  at  Gethsemane;  see 
the  Saviour's  face;  how  sad  with  sorrow  because  of 
the  Father's  wrath!  But  on  the  Mount  of  Trans- 
figuration, when  the  Father  said,  "  This  is  my  well- 
beloved  Son,"  the  person  of  Christ  glistened  with 
glory. 

Communion  with  God  has  the  effect  of  making  us 
joyous.  The  Lord  does  not  like  to  see  any  of  his 
disciples  looking  sad.  .  .  .  When  men  seek  to  entice 
you  to  forego  communion  with  God  and  to  follow  the 
world  with  them,  let  your  face  shine  with  the  bright- 
ness that  comes  from  your  communion  with  the 
Master,  and  they  will  cease  to  trouble  you.  Chris- 
tians can  sometimes  do  more  by  shining  for  God  than 
by  speaking  for  him.  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

What  folly  it  is  to  imagine  that  I  cannot  expect 
God  to  be  with  me  every  moment!  Look  at  the  sun- 
shine! Have  you  ever  said,  ''Oh,  how^  can  I  keep 
that  sunlight,  and  be  sure  that  I  shall  have  it  to  use 
while  w^orking?"  Is  not  God,  who  made  the  sun  to 
shine,  also  willing  and  able  to  let  his  light  and  his 
presence  so  shine  through  me  that  I  can  w-alk  all  the 
day  with  God  nearer  to  me  than  an3rthing  in  nature  ? 
Praise  God,  he  can  do  it. 

Why  then  does  he  do  it  so  seldom,  and  in  such 
feeble  measure?  There  is  but  one  answ^er:  you  do 
not  permit  it.  You  are  so  occupied  and  filled  with 
other  things— religious  things  perhaps— that  you  do 
not  give  God  time  to  make  himself  knowm,  and  to 
enter  and  take  possession.        Andrew  Murray. 

39 


0  Church  of  Christ,  behold  at  last 

The  promised  sign  appear,— 
The  gospel  preached  in  all  the  world; 

And  lo!  the  King  draws  near. 

He  shall  reign  from  sea  to  sea; 

When  he  girds  on  his  conquering  sword, 
All  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see 

The  salvation  of  our  God. 

With  girded  loins,  make  haste!  make  haste! 

Thy  witness  to  complete. 
That  Christ  may  take  his  throne  and  bring 

All  nations  to  his  feet. 

And  thou,  0  Israel,  long  in  dust, 

Arise,  and  come  away! 
See  how  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 

Sheds  forth  the  beams  of  day. 

Thy  scattered  sons  are  gath'ring  home, 

The  fig-tree  buds  again; 
A  little  while  and  David's  Son 

On  David's  throne  shall  reign. 

Then  sing  aloud,  0  Pilgrim  Church, 

Brief  conflict  yet  remains. 
And  then  Immanuel  descends 

To  bind  thy  foe  in  chains. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 


40 


Drouth  of  February 


IV inter  M^ccds 
^yiiidrcic  ^^ .   ''Boiiar 


ISoimr  Glen 


Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  he  will  guide 
you  into  all  truth.— John  xvi.  13. 

A  man  once  asked  me,  "  Is  not  conscience  a  safer 
guide  than  the  Holy  Spirit?"  I  just  took  out  my 
watch  and  said,  "Is  not  my  watch  better  than  the 
sun?"  Suppose  that  I  said  to  you,  "I  will  tell  you 
the  hour  by  my  watch,  and  you  m^ust  always  take  the 
time  from  me."  That  is  conscience.  It  is  the  sun 
that  is  to  rule  the  time.  Conscience  is  fallen  and 
corrupt.  If  we  had  an  unfallen  conscience,  like  holy 
Adam,  it  would  be  as  if  my  watch  were  always  to 
agree  with  the  sun.  But  now  it  is  a  most  unsafe 
guide.  Sometimes  we  hear  men  say,  "  I  don't  see  any 
harm  in  this  practice;  my  conscience  doesn't  condemn 
it."  It  is  not  your  conscience  or  your  consciousness 
that  is  the  rule  of  right  and  wrong;  the  law  is  the 
standard.  By  the  law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin.  Sin 
is  the  transgression  of  the  law,  not  of  conscience. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

It  is  a  great  sin  that  multitudes  of  Christian  be- 
lievers are  going  to  human  sources  for  the  things 
which  the  Spirit  has  promised  to  give  to  them  at  first- 
hand. H.  M.  Parsons. 

When  people  say,  "  I  want  more  of  the  Holy  Ghost," 
I  answer,  "  The  Holy  Ghost  wants  more  of  you."  The 
question  is  not,  how  much  you  can  take  in  of  the 
Spirit,  but  how  much  the  Spirit  can  take  possession 
of  you.  If  you  will  yield  yourself  to  the  living  God 
with  the  conviction  that  he  is  all  that  every  man  can 
want,  not  one  good  thing  shall  fail,  any  more  than  it 
has  failed  in  the  past,  of  all  that  the  Lord  our  God 
has  promised  to  give  us. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

41 


DAY 

n 


Tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with 
power  from  on  high.— Luke  xxiv.  49. 


The  apostles  had  taken  a  four  years'  course  in  the 
best  theological  seminary  that  ever  existed,  in  which 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  himself  was  the  chief  and  sole 
instructor;  they  had  been  eye-witnesses  of  our  Sav- 
iour's miracles,  his  death,  and  his  resurrection,  and 
were  in  a  few  moments  to  witness  his  ascension.  Yet 
Jesus  said  that  they  were  not  ready  to  work.  The 
world  was  dying;  the  apostles  were  the  only  ones  who 
knew  the  saving  truth;  but  they  were  not  to  stir  a 
step  until  they  had  received  something  further— the 
baptism  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  Now  if  those  men,  with 
such  an  exceptional  training,  were  not  allowed  to 
enter  upon  their  work  until  they  had  received  the 
baptism  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  should  we  dare  to 
undertake  that  service  until  we  have  been  so  bap- 
tized? 

In  Acts  we  read,  "God  anointed  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  power:  who  went 
about  doing  good,  and  healing  all  that  were  op- 
pressed of  the  devil;  for  God  was  with  him."  That 
refers  to  the  time  when,  as  Jesus  stood  at  the  Jordan, 
the  heavens  were  opened  and  the  Holy  Spirit  de- 
scended upon  him  in  the  form  of  a  dove.  Now  if 
Jesus  Christ,  "the  only-begotten  Son  of  God,"  did 
not  enter  upon  his  public  ministry  until  he  was  bap- 
tized with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  power,  it  seems  to  me 
very  closely  akin  to  blasphemy  for  a  man  to  under- 
take Christian  service  until  he  has  received  this 
baptism.  R.  A.  TORREY. 


42 


DAY 

m 

Ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  .  .  .  Mor- 
tify therefore  your  members  which  are  upon  the  earth.— Col.  iii. 
3,5. 

An  awful  responsibility  lies  with  us  of  making  dead 
practically  by  the  Holy  Ghost  what  Christ  made  dead 
judicially.  You  are  ashamed  to  tell  of  the  jealousy,  the 
lust,  or  the  covetousness  which  is  dragging  you  down. 
Brethren,  give  it  to  the  grave.  Does  not  Jesus  say 
that  you  would  better  pluck  out  your  eye  or  cut  off 
your  right  hand  rather  than  that  your  whole  body 
should  be  cast  into  hell  ?  Put  your  passions  to  death. 
They  will  rise  up  if  they  can;  they  have  terrible  tap- 
roots, and  you  will  never  pull  them  all  up ;  but  your 
determination  must  be  to  destroy  them.  You  may 
have  to  do  it  openly.  I  have  known  men  who  have 
had  to  lose  all  their  character  to  win  their  souls.  It 
is  a  solemn  process.  There  are  downright  damnable 
things  in  most  men  who  call  themselves  Christians, 
and  they  are  cherishing  them.  Bring  them  out  and 
put  them  to  death. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

There  is  no  way  of  being  delivered  from  this  life 
of  self  but  one :  we  must  follow  Christ,  set  our  heart 
upon  him,  listen  to  his  teachings,  give  ourselves  up 
every  day  that  Christ  may  be  all  to  us,  and  by  the 
power  of  Christ  the  denial  of  self  will  be  a  blessed, 
unceasing  reality.  Never  for  one  hour  do  I  expect 
the  Christian  to  reach  a  stage  at  which  he  can  say, 
"  I  have  no  self  to  deny."  His  fellowship  with  the 
cross  of  Christ  will  be  an  unceasing  denial  of  self 
every  hour  and  every  moment. 

Andrew  Murray. 


43 


DAY 
IV 


Religion  is  communion  between  man  and  God— the 
finite  'T'  and  the  infinite  "I  AM."  Christianity  is 
religion  plus  the  incarnation.  ...  If  you  eliminate 
the  supernatural  from  Christianity,  you  will  at  once 
get  a  new  religion,  a  new  Christianity,  that  has  no 
reference  to  the  next  life,  no  salvation;  simply  a  moral 
philosophy,  a  theory  of  life,  and  the  present  life  at 
that;  a  Christianity  that  is  simply  a  philanthropy; 
and  the  immortality  of  the  individual  having  been 
given  up,  the  next  thing  will  be  to  give  attention  to 
the  immortality  of  the  organism.  Hence  it  is  that 
some  men  at  the  present  time  are  saying  very  little 
about  the  salvation  of  the  soul,  but  a  great  deal  about 
the  salvation  of  the  life  and  the  regeneration  of  so- 
ciety. Hence  it  is  that  a  great  deal  of  practical 
Christian  endeavor,  that  used  to  be  addressed  to  the 
question  of  making  men  sorry  for  sin  and  leading 
them  to  seek  pardon  from  God,  is  expending  itself  in 
providing  soup-kitchens  and  more  comfortable  en- 
vironment for  the  poor. 

Now,  when  we  are  told,  as  we  have  been,  that  the 
church  does  not  understand  Christianity,  that  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  does  not  under- 
stand Christianity,  that  Christianity  does  not  under- 
stand Christianity,  the  meaning  is  that  those  who 
make  this  allegation  have  a  fundamentally  false  view 
as  to  the  philosophy  of  life,  as  to  the  place  that 
Christianity  is  designed  to  serve  in  our  world's  his- 
tory. We  must  understand  the  underlying  philosophy 
of  these  men  if  we  would  appreciate  their  anti- 
evangelical  attitude. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 


44 


DAY 
V 


As  in  the  case  of  the  temple  of  Israel,  so  with  the 
believer,  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  our  whole 
natures  should  be  consecrated  to  God.  ''Present 
your  bodies— the  court— a  living  sacrifice; "  "  Let  the 
peace  of  God  rule  in  your  hearts"— the  holy  place; 
"Casting  down  imaginations,  and  every  high  thing 
that  exalteth  itself  against  the  knowledge  of  God, 
and  bringing  into  captivity  every  thought  to  the 
obedience  of  Christ"— the  mind,  the  holy  of  holies. 

Perhaps  our  conception  of  consecration  has  been 
poor  and  inadequate.  We  have  been  thinking  of 
service  simply,  and  that  in  connection  with  the  body; 
we  have  said,  ''Take  my  hands;  take  my  lips;  take 
my  feet,"  and  so  on  in  a  kind  of  sentimental,  anatom- 
ical way.  We  have  not  thought  of  being  God-filled, 
God-possessed,  quite  apart  from  considerations  of 
service.  I  grow  weary  of  the  perpetual  spurring  on  of 
God's  people  to  service,— as  if  any  father  ever  cared 
so  much  to  have  his  children  toiling  for  him  as  loving 
and  trusting  him,— and  the  m.ore  so  as  the  God-pos- 
sessed Christian  invariably  does  serve.  There  is  a 
higher  thought:  the  enthronement  of  Jesus  as  Lord 
of  all,  and  once  for  all;  there  should  be  no  call  for 
reconsecration  in  the  Christian's  experience. 

C.  L  SCOFIELD. 

In  full  consecration  to  God  it  is  a  joy  to  recognize 
all  our  members,  all  our  faculties— every  fiber  of  our 
body  and  faculty  of  mind  and  appetite  and  pro- 
pensity—all as  his,  for  his  service  and  glory;  and  as 
his  children  to  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 


45 


DAI 
VI 

Christ  was  once  offered  to  bear  the  sins  of  many.— Heb.  ix.  28. 

There  is  this  mistaken  view  of  the  atonement:  that 
God  would  not  forgive  his  creatures  but  for  a  vica- 
rious atonement;  that  for  this  sin-offering  he  took 
Christ,  his  Son,  and  that  his  pain  and  intense  suffering 
brought  the  pardon. 

That  is  not  it.  There  was  sin  in  the  world.  Death 
was  the  penalty.  Who  would  pay  the  wages  of  sin? 
Christ  was  the  volunteer.  He  trod  the  wine-press 
alone  because  there  was  none  holy  enough  to  stand 
with  him.  God  is  not  hampered  by  his  own  attri- 
butes. Justice  never  forgives;  it  exacts  punishment. 
The  defaulter  cannot  wipe  out  his  crime  by  the  mul- 
tiplication table.  If  there  is  a  world  where  five  times 
five  make  fifty,  then  there  may  be  a  world  where  the 
wages  of  sin  is  life.  If  a  friend  gives  a  defaulter 
fifty  thousand  dollars,  he  may  pay  the  money  back 
and  gain  forgiveness.  Christ  paid  the  debt  con- 
tracted in  the  currency  of  earth  in  the  higher  cur- 
rency of  heaven. 

A  Russian  officer  could  not  make  his  accounts  come 
right;  there  was  a  heavy  balance  against  him.  In 
the  rigid  despotism  of  the  empire  he  feared  the  con- 
sequences and  the  severe  penalty  if  he  could  not 
make  it  good.  Poring  over  the  figures  at  his  table 
one  day,  in  his  worry  and  despair  he  began  scribbling. 
He  wTote  on  the  paper  before  him,  '^  Who  will  make 
up  this  deficit?"  He  fell  asleep.  The  czar  passed; 
he  saw  the  officer,  and,  curious,  read  the  scrap  of 
writing;  he  seized  the  pen  and  wrote  underneath,  "I, 
even  I,  Alexander." 

Who  can  pay  the  deficit  of  human  sin?  "I,  even 
I,"  said  Christ  on  the  cross,  A.  J.  Gordon. 

46 


DAY 

vn 

Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.— Gal.  vi.  7. 

In  the  natural  world  a  man  expects  to  reap  if  he- 
sows;  he  expects  to  reap  the  same  kind  of  seed;  he 
expects  to  reap  more  than  he  sows;  and  ignorance 
of  the  kind  of  seed  sown  makes  no  difference  in  the 
reaping.  The  man  who  sows  his  "wild  oats"  will 
find  that  the  same  is  true  in  his  experience. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Never  trifle  with  one  sin.  It  is  like  a  little  cloud 
which,  as  a  poet  has  said,  may  hold  a  hurricane  in 
its  grasp.  The  next  sin  you  commit  may  have  a 
mighty  effect  in  the  blighting  of  your  life.  You  do 
not  know  the  streams  that  may  flow  from  that  foun- 
tain; for  sin  is  a  fountain— not  a  mere  act,  but  a 
fountain  of  evil.  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

Have  you  ever  thought  of  the  power  of  sin  to  per- 
petuate and  multiply  itself?  In  Genesis  thistles  are 
mentioned  as  a  part  of  the  earth's  curse.  One  seed 
is  the  first  crop,  twenty-four  hundred  the  second,  five 
hundred  and  seventy-six  million  the  third.  So  it  is 
with  sin:  "  By  one  man's  disobedience  many  were 
made  sinners."  This  stands  as  a  law  of  nature, 
natural  and  spiritual—"  yielding  fruit  after  his  kind." 
Man  was  created  holy ;  had  he  remained  so  there  would 
have  been  "  fruit  after  his  kind."  But  he  sinned,  and 
Adam  begat  a  son  in  his  own  likeness— not  in  God's 
likeness.  Then  see  the  power  of  sin  in  producing 
defiance  of  God.  Cain  is  an  example;  he  is  the  first- 
fruit  of  the  flesh— the  first  child  born  into  the  world. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  go  through  five  hundred  and 
seventy-six  million  thistle-seeds  in  their  growth  and 
development  to  know  their  nature ;  they  are  all  alike. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 

47 


DAY 

vin 


Look  at  God.  Who  is  God  ?  He  is  the  great  Being 
for  whom  alone  the  universe  exists,  in  whom  alone  it 
can  have  happiness.  It  came  from  him;  it  can  find 
no  rest  or  joy  outside  of  him.  Oh,  if  only  Christians 
understood  and  believed  that  God  is  nothing  but  a 
fountain  of  happiness  and  perfect,  everlasting  bless- 
edness, the  result  would  be  that  every  Christian  would 
say,  "  The  more  I  can  have  of  God,  his  will  and  his 
love  and  his  fellowship,  the  happier."  If  they  be- 
lieved that  with  their  whole  heart,  how  they  would 
with  the  utmost  ease  give  up  everything  that  might 
separate  them  from  God!  .  .  . 

Look  at  man's  nature.  For  what  was  man  created? 
Simply  to  live  in  the  likeness  of  God,  and  as  his  image. 
Now,  if  we  have  been  created  in  the  image  and  like- 
ness of  God,  we  can  find  our  happiness  in  nothing  but 
in  what  God  finds  his  happiness.  The  more  like  to 
him  we  are,  the  happier  we  shall  be.  In  what  does 
God  find  his  happiness?  In  two  things:  everlasting 
righteousness  and  everlasting  beneficence.  "God 
is  light,  and  in  him  is  no  darkness  at  all."  The 
kingdom,  the  rule  of  God,  will  bring  us  nothing  but 
righteousness.  Seek  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness.  If  men  but  knew  what  sin  is,  and  if 
they  really  longed  to  be  free  from  everything  like 
sin,  what  a  grand  message  this  would  be!  Jesus 
comes  to  lead  men  to  God  and  his  righteousness.  We 
were  created  to  be  like  God,  in  his  perfect  righteous- 
ness and  holiness  and  love. 

Andrew  Murray. 

It  is  far  less  important  to  die  the  martyr's  death 
than  to  live  the  martyr's  life.  R.  E.  Speer. 

48 


DAY 
DC 


When  man  ends  then  God  begins.  When  all  the 
world  had  become  guilty  before  God;  when  Hebrew 
righteousness  had  utterly  failed  to  fear  God  and  keep 
his  commandments;  when  the  Greek  by  his  wisdom 
knew  not  God;  when  the  Roman  had  stupefied  his  con- 
science and  liked  not  to  retain  God  in  his  knowledge, 
even  though  there  was  still  taught  by  Hebrew  and 
by  pagan  creed,  by  seer  and  sibyl,  the  comJng  of  a 
day  of  wrath  and  the  impending  judgment  of  Gehenna; 
then  God,  in  his  love,  wisdom,  and  power,  made  him- 
self manifest,  a  just  God  and  a  Saviour. 

W.  J.  Erdman. 

Christ  came  into  this  world  not  simply  as  a  moral 
reformer,  or  as  a  moral  philosopher,  though  he  was 
both,  but  as  a  Saviour.  Christianity  is  salvation,  and 
the  Bible  gives  us  the  plan  of  salvation.  There  is 
either  no  peril  at  all,  in  which  case  we  do  not  need 
any  religion,  and  need  not  trouble  ourselves;  or  there 
may  be  peril,  and  no  salvation  at  all,  in  which  case 
we  may  trouble  ourselves,  but  it  will  do  us  no  good; 
or  else  "  there  is  none  other  name  under  heaven  given 
among  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved; "  and  "  other 
foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which 
is  Jesus  Christ." 

Francis  L.  Patton. 

If  we  are  going  to  get  salvation,  we  have  got  to 
get  it  upon  God's  terms  and  not  upon  our  own;  and 
that  is  why  I  fear  that  a  good  many  people  will  not 
get  it— simply  because  they  can't  have  their  own 
way  about  it.  D.  L.  Moody. 


49 


DAY 
X 

How  shall  we,  that  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any  longer  therein  ? — 
Rom.  vi.  2. 

We  have  been  redeemed,  like  the  people  of  Israel, 
from  bondage,  and  then  have  been  led  through  the 
Red  Sea  of  Christ's  bJood,  and  should  know  that  our 
enemies  are  practically  drowned  there.  Every  man 
who  desires  to  have  contact  with  the  flesh  is  putting 
his  arm  across  the  Red  Sea,  and  is  shaking  hands 
with  the  survivors  of  the  Egyptians,  which  are  the 
flesh,  across  the  grave  of  Christ.  Did  you  ever  think 
that  when  you  made  a  concession  to  the  flesh  you 
had  to  reach  over  the  buried  Son  of  God  to  get  back 
to  your  old  lusts  and  appetites?  No  wonder  that 
Satan's  hand  is  stronger  than  yours,  and  that  he 
pulls  you  over.  Were  you  redeemed  to  go  on  living 
in  the  wilderness  forty  years,  supplied,  like  beggars, 
every  day  with  bread  and  water?  God  never  lets  his 
children  starve  to  death;  he  manages  to  give  them 
bread  and  water;  but,  after  all,  that  is  a  tasteless 
supply  to  most  Christians.  I  hear  Christians  say, 
"  I  suppose  we  must  go  through  a  howling  wilderness 
all  the  days  of  our  life."  It  is  a  pilgrimage,  my 
brother.  There  is  something  far  better  than  the  old 
bondage  of  Egypt,  or  than  merely  lingering  on  in  a 
howling  wilderness,  supplied  with  bread  and  water. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

He  who  begins  by  halving  his  heart  between  God 
and  mammon  will  end  by  being  whole-hearted  for  the 
world  and  faint-hearted  for  Christ.  We  are  so  con- 
stituted that  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  exercise  a 
divided  allegiance;  we  must  be  out-and-out  for  God, 
or  we  shall  be  in-and-in  for  the  world  and  all  its  in- 
terests. A.  J.  Gordon. 
50 


DAY 
XI 

And  we  are  his  witnesses  of  these  things;  and  so  is  also  the 
Holy  Ghost,  whom  God  hath  given  to  them  that  obey  him.— Acts 
V.  32. 

Obedience  means  surrender,  absolute  surrender. 
I  come  to  God  and  say  essentially, ''  Heavenly  Father, 
thou  hast  bought  me  mth  a  price ;  I  acknowledge  thine 
absolute  ownership.  Take  me,  send  me  where  thou 
wilt,  use  me  as  thou  wilt."  Here  we  touch  the  hin- 
drance in  many  lives.  Many  desire  the  baptism  with 
the  Holy  Spirit  who  are  not  conscious  of  any  definite 
sin,  but  there  is  not  total  surrender.  One  minister 
wishes  the  baptism  that  he,  in  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  may  preach  in  Boston;  another  that  he  may 
preach  in  New  York;  another  in  Chicago.  Ah,  God 
may  want  you  in  Africa  or  in  India  or  in  the  islands 
of  the  sea;  and  before  you  can  have  the  Holy  Spirit's 
power  anywhere  you  must  be  willing  to  go  an5rwhere. 

R.  A.  TORREY. 

Obedience  means  marching  right  on  whether  we 
feel  like  it  or  not.  D.  L.  Moody. 

We  hear  much  these  days  about  God's  sovereignty 
and  man's  free  agency.  Christ  said  to  the  woman 
of  Canaan,  "  Be  it  unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt."  Here 
is  something  that  looks  like  human  sovereignty  and 
divine  agency.  Free  to  do  what  we  please  because 
we  please  to  do  God's  will.  Such  is  the  free  agency 
of  faith  that  takes  hold  of  the  arm  that  moves  the 
world.  Such  free  agency  Moses  had  when  the  Red 
Sea  was  no  obstacle  in  the  way  of  his  progress.  The 
walls  of  Jericho  fell  before  this  free  agency  of  faith. 
By  means  of  it  any  little  David  is  more  than  a  match 
for  the  strongest  Goliath.  Armed  with  it,  Gideon 
and  his  three  hundred  were  invincible. 

A.  C.  Dixon. 

51 


DAY 

xn 


Have  you  a  capacity  for  the  law?  Christ  himself 
is  an  Advocate.  Come,  practise  in  the  supreme  court; 
expound  the  law  of  God.  He  will  open  your  eyes  and 
show  you  wondrous  things  out  of  his  law.  Go  forth 
and  teach  men  to  obey  this  law. 

If  you  are  fond  of  working  among  conveyances  and 
title-deeds,  go  and  help  multitudes  of  people  to  get, 
or  to  clear  up,  their  title-deeds  to  mansions  in  the 
skies.  You  will  not  get  your  fees  in  this  world,  but 
you  will  in  the  next. 

Have  you  a  talent  for  medical  work?  Christ  was 
the  great  Physician.  Come,  heal  the  wounds  that 
sin  has  made;  open  blind  eyes;  unstop  deaf  ears;  make 
the  lame  to  leap ;  raise  the  dead.  God  himself  will 
furnish  you  the  medicines:  the  balm  of  Gilead,  the 
Water  of  Life,  the  anointing  salve  for  the  eyes,  the 
leaves  of  the  Tree  of  Life,  which  are  for  the  healing 
of  the  nations.  You  will  receive  your  fees  for  pour- 
ing in  oil  and  wine,  and  for  bringing  to  the  great  inn 
above  many  a  poor  sinner  who  has  fallen  among 
thieves  as  he  wandered  away  from  Jerusalem  to 
Jericho. 

Have  you  been  thinking  of  a  business  life  ?  Here 
is  a  "merchandise  better  than  the  merchandise  of 
silver,  and  the  gain  thereof  than  fine  gold."  Men  go 
far  from  home  to  Brazil  or  South  Africa,  and  toil  in 
the  mud  and  mire  of  the  mines  to  dig  up  diamond 
stones,  which  they  sell  to  kings  and  princes  for 
merely  an  earthly  reward.  Would  you  not,  then,  go 
far  away  and  assist  to  gather  these  gems  which,  when 
washed  in  the  blood  of  Christ  and  cut  and  polished 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  shall  adorn  the  crown  of  him 
who  is  King  of  kings,  and  flash  back  the  glory  of 
the  living  God?  William  Ashmore. 

52 


DAY 

xm 


Elijah  said  to  Elisha,  "  Is  there  anything  you  want? 
Don't  be  afraid  to  ask.  You  seem  to  be  very  timid." 
Elisha  replied,  "  Yes,  there  is  something  I  want." 
"Well,  don't  be  afraid  to  ask;  you  shall  have  what- 
ever you  want."  A  blank  check!  How  did  he  fill 
it  out  ?  Did  he  ask  for  as  much  of  the  Spirit  as  Elijah 
had?  That  would  have  been  a  great  thing.  Talk 
about  kings!  Elijah  had  power  over  kings.  Kings 
are  in  the  habit  of  ordering  their  subjects  around. 
Here  was  a  subject  who  was  in  the  habit  of  ordering 
kings  around.  Talk  about  the  power  of  Caesar, 
Napoleon,  Alexander,  the  great  generals  and  warriors 
of  this  earth!  Why,  it  is  nothing  to  the  power  of 
the  man  who  is  in  communion  with  God.  Elisha  was 
not  going  to  ask  for  a  small  thing.  He  says,  "I 
want  a  double  portion  of  thy  spirit."  I  can  see  Elijah 
turn  round  to  him  in  surprise  and  say,  "You  have 
asked  me  a  hard  thing."  But  he  says,  "  If  you  see 
me  when  I  am  taken  from  you,  you  shall  have  it." 
"Then,"  says  Elisha,  "you'll  not  get  away  without 
my  seeing  you."  He  wanted  a  double  portion  of 
Elijah's  spirit,  and  he  was  determined  to  get  it.  So 
he  took  good  care  to  see  him  in  the  chariot,  and  he 
did  see  him.  Elisha  performed  twice  the  number  of 
miracles  that  Elijah  did. 

Jesus  Christ  has  come  dowTi  from  heaven  since 
then,  and  is  it  so  wonderful  to  ask  for  the  power  of 
the  Spirit?  W^e  ought  to  have  a  hundred  times  more 
power  than  Elijah  and  Elisha  had. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

When  God  takes  possession  of  a  slow  tongue,  he 
can  make  it  fast  if  he  wants  to,  but  you  will  get  none 
of  the  credit.  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

53 


DAY 
XIV 

You  will  never  possess  any  more  of  Christ  than 
you  claim  as  your  own.  You  do  not  gain  God's  bless- 
ing by  storing  away  books  full  of  notes;  you  must 
take  God's  truth  into  your  very  soul  and  feast  upon 
it.  What  good  will  abundance  of  food  or  water  or 
money  do  you  if  it  is  unclaimed  and  unused?  The 
money  that  a  man  takes  from  the  bank  is  his  enjoy- 
able possession,  that  which  he  has  in  the  bank  is  only 
his  lawful  possession.  You  cannot  pass  through  the 
riches  of  God  except  by  the  study  of  this  blessed 
Book  and  by  constantly  dealing  with  God  in  prayer. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

The  difference  between  Christians  is  not  so  much 
a  difference  of  endowment  as  it  is  a  difference  of 
apprehension  and  appropriation.  A  man  once  owned 
a  small  farm.  He  did  his  best  to  till  it  and  rear  a 
family,  but  after  working  hard  all  his  life  he  died  a 
poor  man.  The  farm  was  inherited  by  his  eldest  son. 
The  son  discovered  a  gold-mine  and  became  im- 
mensely rich.  The  property  he  had  was  the  same 
that  his  father  had;  but  the  father  didn't  know  what 
was  in  the  land,  while  the  son  found  it  out. 

That  is  the  difference  between  Christians.  Through 
the  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ  God  hath  made  us  heirs 
to  all  things,  but  only  the  Holy  Ghost  reveals  our 
riches.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

"  Let  us  come  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace,  that 
we  may  obtain  mercy  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time 
of  need."  How  many  of  God's  people  who  have  the 
bank  of  heaven  to  draw  on,  and  could  come  boldly  to 
the  throne  of  grace  and  get  help  in  time  of  need, 
have  thus  far  been  living  on  a  few  crumbs. 

D.  L.  Moody. 
64 


DAY 
XV 

I  distinguish  very  clearly  between  a  doctrine  as 
essential  to  salvation,  and  the  belief  of  that  doctrine 
as  essential  to  salvation.  If  Christianity  is  worth 
anything  at  all,  there  could  have  been  no  hope  for 
you  and  me  except  upon  the  ground  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  incarnation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  for  it  is 
the  fact  of  the  incarnation,  together  with  what  is 
involved  in  it,  that  makes  salvation  possible.  But  it 
is  one  thing  to  say  that  salvation  is  conditioned  upon 
a  doctrine,  and  another  thing  to  say  that  my  salva- 
tion is  conditioned  upon  my  belief  in  that  doctrine. 
I  do  not  raise  an  inquiry  here  as  to  the  minimum  of 
belief,  though  I  hold  some  belief  to  be  necessary; 
but  the  question  is,  whether  there  is  anything  of  a 
dogmatic  nature,  in  the  content  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, which  is  obligatory  upon  all  who  profess  and 
call  themselves  Christian. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 

A  great  many  men  are  waiting  for  feeling;  but 
feeling  never  saves,  and  the  most  unsatisfactory 
Christians  are  those  w^ho  are  governed  altogether  by 
their  sentiments.  D.  L.  Moody. 

There  are  three  things:  feeling,  faith,  and  fact. 
You  may  have  put  them  in  this  order:  feeling,  fact, 
faith;  or  fact,  feeling,  faith.  You  must  change,  and 
put  them  thus:  fact,  faith— and  feeling  a  hundred 
years  after,  if  you  like.  You  have  been  trying  to 
feel  God's  fact,  but  you  must  take  God's  fact  on  faith 
—the  great  fact  that  Christ  has  come  through  the 
grave  into  a  new  world.  Upon  your  apprehension  by 
faith  of  that  fact  as  revealed  in  the  Bible  the  whole 
structure  of  your  deliverance  depends. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

65 


DAY 
XVI 

And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  .  .  .  will  draw  all  men  unto  me.— 
John  xii.  32. 

If  you  put  yourself  before  the  cross,  you  may  hold 
up  the  cross  and  yet  obscure  it.  But  the  man  that 
will  get  behind  the  cross,— who  is  willing  to  get  be- 
hind Christ  and  the  Bible,  so  that  men  will  not  see 
him,  but  only  the  exalted  Word,— that  is  the  man 
whom  the  Holy  Ghost  is  likely  to  endue  with  great 
power.  Like  the  Statue  of  Liberty  in  New  York 
harbor,  we  are  to  be  light-holders;  and  if  we  stand 
on  a  high  pedestal  it  is  that  we  may  hold  the  light  a 
little  higher.  May  God  truly  endue  us  with  power 
by  his  Spirit  and  for  his  service! 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

One  day  a  friend  of  mine,  in  passing  down  a  Glas- 
gow street,  saw  a  crowd  at  a  shop  door,  and  had  the 
curiosity  to  look  in.  There  he  saw  an  auctioneer 
holding  up  a  grand  picture  so  that  all  could  see  it. 
When  he  got  it  in  position,  he  remained  behind  it  and 
said  to  the  crowd,  "Now  look  at  this  part  of  the 
picture,  .  .  .  and  now  at  this  other  part,"  and  so  on, 
describing  each  detail  of  it.  "  Now,"  said  my  friend, 
"  the  whole  time  I  was  there  I  never  saw  the  speaker, 
but  only  the  picture  he  was  showing."  That  is  the 
way  to  work  for  Christ.  He  miust  increase,  but  we 
must  be  out  of  sight.  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

Christ  spake  his  parables  unto  the  people.  To 
speak  unto  people  is  a  thing  that  some  commentators 
and  preachers  never  by  any  means  try.  They  speak 
over  or  under  them,  or  past  them,  or  all  round  about 
them,  but  unto  them  they  never  tried  yet. 

John  McNeill. 

56 


DAY 

xvn 

And  I,  brethren,  could  not  speak  unto  you  as  unto  spiritual, 
but  as  unto  carnal,  even  as  unto  babes  in  Christ. — 1  Cor,  iii.  1. 

The  apostle  here  speaks  of  two  stages  of  the 
Christian  life,  two  types  of  Christians:  the  spiritual 
and  the  carnal.  Those  to  whom  he  wrote  were  all 
Christians,— in  Christ,— but,  instead  of  being  spirit- 
ual Christians,  they  were  carnal. 

In  the  wisdom  which  the  Holy  Ghost  gives  him  St. 
Paul  feels,  ''  I  cannot  write  to  these  Corinthian  Chris- 
tians unless  I  know  their  state,  and  unless  I  tell  them 
of  it.  If  I  give  spiritual  food  to  carnal  Christians  I 
am  doing  them  more  harm  than  good,  for  they  are 
not  fit  to  take  it  in.  I  cannot  feed  them  with  meat; 
I  must  feed  them  with  milk." 

In  the  church  of  Christ  you  will  find  two  classes 
of  Christians.  Some  have  lived  many  years  as  be- 
lievers, and  yet  always  remain  babes;  others  are 
spiritual  men,  because  they  have  given  themselves 
up  to  the  power,  the  leading,  and  to  the  entire  rule 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

If  we  are  to  receive  a  blessing,  the  first  thing 
needed  is  for  each  one  to  know  on  which  side  of  the 
line  he  stands.  Andrew  Murray. 

"Every  one  that  useth  milk  is  unskilful  in  the 
word  of  righteousness:  for  he  is  a  babe."  It  is  to  be 
feared  that  many  Christians  are  content  with  the 
forgiveness  of  sins,  and  do  not  care  to  take  another 
step.  "  I  write  unto  you,  little  children,"  says  John, 
"  because  your  sins  are  forgiven  you."  Are  we  going 
to  be  content  to  remain  little  children,  without  going 
on  to  do  the  young  men's  battle  with  the  wicked  one  ? 
"  I  write  unto  you,  young  men,  because  ye  have  over- 
come the  wicked  one."  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

57 


DAY 

xvm 

The  trouble  with  us  is,  our  proud  hearts  refuse  to 
accept  the  position  in  which  God's  Word  places  us. 
It  charges  us  with  sin  and  corruption,  and  we  would 
like  to  excuse  ourselves  and  harp  a  little  upon  the 
dignity  of  human  nature.  God  tells  us  that  without 
him  we  can  do  nothing.  We  are  apt  to  think  that 
by  our  reasoning  powers  and  high  culture  we  can 
ourselves  do  wonders.  Not  until  we  accept  the 
position  of  sinfulness  and  weakness  are  we  prepared 
to  receive  his  blessing.  A.  C.  Dixon. 

Some  Christians  make  a  great  deal  of  themselves 
and  little  of  Christ,  while  others  make  a  little  of  them- 
selves and  a  great  deal  of  Christ.  When  a  person 
considers  that  he  is  growing  little  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,  in  reality  he  is  finding  the  true  grace  and 
goodness  of  the  God  of  mankind.       D.  L.  Moody. 

Allow  God  to  take  his  place  in  your  heart  and  life. 
Luther  often  said  to  people,  when  they  came  to  him 
about  difficulties,  "  Do  let  God  be  God."  Let  God  be 
all  in  all,  every  day  in  your  life,  from  morning  to 
evening.  No  more  say,  "  I  and  God; "  let  it  be  "  God 
and  L"  God  first,  and  I  second;  God  to  lead,  and  I 
to  follow;  God  to  work  all  in  me,  and  I  to  work  out 
only  what  God  works;  God  to  rule,  and  I  to  obey. 
Even  in  that  order  there  is  a  danger,  for  the  flesh  is 
so  subtle,  and  one  might  begin  to  think,  "It  is  God 
and  I.  Oh,  what  a  privilege  that  I  have  such  a 
partner!"  There  might  be  secret  self-exaltation  in 
associating  God  with  myself.  There  is  a  more  pre- 
cious word  still—"  God  and  not  I;  not  God  first,  and 
I  second;  God  is  all,  and  I  am  nothing."  Paul  said, 
"  I  labored  more  abundantly  than  they  all,  though  I 
be  nothing."  Andrew  Murray. 

58 


DAY 
XDC 

There  is  no  truly  Christian  man  who  keeps  an 
unconverted  pocket-book.  God's  universal  law  of  un- 
selfish service  is  as  supreme  in  the  domain  of  material 
possessions— in  the  realm  of  that  wealth  which  ex- 
tends a  man's  power  "to  bring  things  to  pass"— as 
it  is  in  any  other  department  of  man's  possible  efforts. 
The  unvarying  law  of  God,  which  attaches  an  obliga- 
tion to  every  opportunity  and  places  a  duty  over 
against  every  right,  makes  no  exception  of  wealth 
with  its  vast  powers  of  service.  God  has  so  ordered 
the  social  life  of  our  race  that  no  man  can  make  the 
most  of  his  powers  of  mind  and  heart  and  will  until 
he  employs  those  powers  in  the  service  of  his  fellow- 
men.  This  is  an  accepted  law  in  the  realm  of  mind 
and  spirit.  It  is  no  less  binding  upon  the  power 
which  material  wealth  places  at  a  man's  disposal. 
No  man  has  the  slightest  right  to  say  of  his  wealth, 
"It  is  mine;  I  may  use  it  selfishly  if  I  will."  No 
man  has  arrived  at  a  true  conception  of  the  respon- 
sibility that  attaches  to  the  possession  of  property, 
until  his  relations  through  it  to  his  fellow-men  fill  a 
larger  place  in  his  views  of  life  than  does  his  ability 
by  his  wealth  to  serve  his  own  selfish  ends.  No  man 
is  free  to  make  an  option  as  to  whether  he  or  his 
property  shall  come  under  God's  law  of  service.  He 
and  his  property  are  of  necessity  under  that  law,  as 
he  is  of  necessity  a  member  of  society  and  of  the 
state,  without  his  leave  having  been  asked.  In  the 
use  of  his  property,  as  of  all  his  other  powers,  he 
owes  steady  allegiance  to  that  law  of  service;  and 
though  in  managing  his  property  he  may  disregard 
this  obligation,  he  can  never  escape  it. 

Merrill  E.  Gates. 

59 


DAY 
XX 


That  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith.— Eph.  iii,  17. 

One  of  our  poets,  speaking  of  our  birth,  beautifully 
says,  "Every  soul  leaves  port  under  sealed  orders. 
We  cannot  know  whither  we  are  going  or  what  we 
are  to  do  till  the  time  comes  for  breaking  the  seal." 
But  I  can  tell  you  something  more  beautiful  than  this. 
Every  regenerated  soul  sets  out  on  its  voyage  with 
an  invisible  Captain  on  board,  who  knows  the  nature 
of  our  sealed  orders  from  the  outset,  and  who  will 
shape  our  entire  voyage  accordingly  if  we  will  only 
let  him.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

If  your  heart  is  empty,  if  you  have  only  sent  the 
devil  out  by  a  pledge  or  a  resolution,  he  will  surely 
come  back  and  say,  "Is  there  any  one  inside?"  If 
there  is  silence  he  will  smash  open  the  door  through 
all  your  good  resolutions,  and  he  will  bring  seven 
other  devils  along  with  him,  and  will  fill  your  heart 
with  riot  and  sin.  But  if,  when  he  comes  back, 
Christ  says,  "I  am  here,"  that  is  enough.  Do  you 
mean  to  tell  me  that  Christ  can  keep  that  sun  full 
of  light,  and  cannot  keep  your  heart  full  of  light? 
I  believe,  if  Christ  wished  it,  that  he  could  make 
Niagara  leap  back,  and  I  believe  that  he  can  come 
into  your  life  and  can  take  your  passion  and  stay  it. 
Do  not  be  afraid;  Christ  can  keep.  Put  him  in  pos- 
session, and  he  will  keep  his  own..       F.  B.  Meyer. 

Take  the  position  of  power  and  privilege  which  God 
offers  to  you;  no  longer  dare  to  vilify  Christ  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world  by  saying  "I  cannot."  No  one 
ever  said  that  you  could.  Say  once  for  all,  "  I  can- 
not, but  Christ  can."  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

60 


DAY 
XXI 


God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner.— Luke  xviii.  13. 


Sometimes  in  the  darkness  a  man's  foot  kicks 
against  the  ladder  that  slopes  through  the  darkness 
up  to  God.  He  takes  the  first  round  of  it.  It  is  not 
the  top  of  the  ladder— justification;  but  it  is  a  big 
jump  upward  from  where  he  has  been  lying  in  the 
dirt  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit  of  iniquity.  He  is  clean 
out,  altogether  out,  and  up  one  rung  on  the  ladder, 
and  will  take  the  rest.  For  whom  He  calls,  them  He 
also  justifies;  that  is  the  first  round,  and  the  publican 
took  it  in  that  prayer.  And  whom  He  justifies,  them 
He  also  sanctifies ;  that  is  a  rising  up  the  ladder.  And 
v/hom  He  sanctifies,  them  He  also  glorifies. 

The  publican  is  in  heaven.  May  we  meet  him 
there,  through  the  rich  grace  of  Him  who,  a  few 
months  afterward,  died  on  the  cross  that  the  publi- 
can's prayer  might  be  heard  and  answered  exceed- 
ingly abundantly  above  all  that  he  could  ask  or  think. 

John  McNeill. 

A  soldier  once  said  that,  according  to  his  idea, 
repentance  was,  ''Halt!  About  face!  Forward! 
March!"  Repentance  is  not  lopping  off  particular 
sins.  If  I  have  a  vessel  full  of  holes,  and  stop  only 
part  of  them,  the  vessel  will  sink  just  as  surely  as  if 
I  did  not  stop  any.  We  must  break  off  from  all  sin 
and  turn  unto  God.  D.  L.  Moody. 

To  repent  means  to  change  your  mind  about  sin, 
and  especially  about  Christ.  Peter  says,  "  Repent; " 
change  from  the  Christ-rejecting  to  the  Christ-ac- 
cepting attitude  of  mind;  accept  Christ  as  Saviour 
and  as  Lord.  R.  A.  ToRREY. 

61 


DAY 

xxn 


I  would  rather  aim  at  perfection  and  fall  short  of 
it  than  aim  at  imperfection  and  fully  attain  it. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

"  Daniel  purposed  in  his  heart."  That's  the  trou- 
ble with  a  great  many  people;  they  purpose  to  do 
right,  but  they  only  purpose  in  their  heads,  and  that 
doesn't  amount  to  much.  If  you  are  .going  to  be 
Christians,  you  must  purpose  to  serve  God  away  down 
in  your  hearts.  "  With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto 
righteousness."  D.  L.  Moody. 

The  purpose  of  our  life  should  be  twofold:  first, 
to  understand  what  is  our  position  in  Christ,  and  then 
by  faith  and  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  be 
lifted  to  that  level. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

Many  men  have  high  aspirations,  but  not  the  right 
motive.  A  man  desires  the  baptism  with  the  Holy  Spirit 
simply  that  he  may  be  a  greater  preacher  or  a  greater 
personal  worker,  or  that  he  may  become  renowned  as 
a  Christian.  One  of  the  subtlest  errors  that  Satan 
leads  us  into  is  that  where  we  are  longing  and  crying 
for  this  most  solemn  of  all  gifts  that  we  may  be 
greater  preachers  or  that  our  church  may  be  built 
up.  The  desire  must  not  be  for  any  glory  that 
comes  to  me  or  my  church,  but  because  God  and 
Christ  are  being  dishonored  by  my  life  and  lack  of 
power,  and  by  the  sin  of  the  people  around  me,  and 
because  he  will  be  honored  if  I  am  baptized  with  the 
Spirit.  R.  A.  Torrey. 

62 


DAY 

xxni 


Philosophical  doubt,  although  it  has  done  harm, 
has  also  done  good;  good  results  have  come  with  the 
spirit  of  investigation  that  has  been  developed.  It 
was  no  great  credit  to  Thomas  that  he  did  not  believe 
the  resurrection  of  Christ  as  the  others  did,  and  yet 
what  a  wonderful  chapter  in  the  evidences  of  Chris- 
tianity was  opened  by  his  skepticism!  It  was  no 
great  credit  to  men  that  they  called  in  question  the 
authenticity  of  the  four  gospels,  but  how  their  skep- 
ticism has  stimulated  scholarly  inquiry  and  strength- 
ened the  defenses  of  the  gospel  narratives! 

When  the  elevated  railroad  was  first  started  in 
New  York  the  people  were  a  little  timid  about  riding 
on  it;  so  the  proprietors  of  the  road  took  great 
pleasure  in  apprising  the  public  of  the  fact  that  this 
road  had  been  subjected  to  a  most  abnormal  and 
enormous  tonnage,  and  that  consequently  people  of 
ordinary  weight  might  deem  themselves  quite  safe 
in  traveling  over  that  road.  I  feel  the  same  way 
about  the  four  gospels— that  I  can  take  my  way  to 
heaven  above  the  din  and  dust  of  daily  life  because 
this  elevated  road  has  had  all  Germany  upon  it,  and 
that  as  yet  it  has  given  no  sign  of  instability. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 


If  you  stand  on  the  mountain  of  faith  and  look 
down,  things  will  seem  easy  to  you;  but  if  you  are  in 
the  valley  of  doubt  they  will  look  like  giants.  What 
the  church  wants  and  what  it  is  looking  for  are  men 
and  women  of  faith. 

D.  L.  Moody. 


63 


DAY 
XXIV 


There  are  men  who  tell  us  that  a  revelation  from 
God  is  impossible.  I  simply  ask  them,  How  do  you 
know?  Because  if  God  exists  it  is  not  impossible; 
all  things  are  possible  with  him. 

Others  say  that  a  revelation  is  not  needed.  If  I 
should  ask  a  dozen  men  for  the  time  of  day,  and  each 
watch  should  mark  a  different  time,  it  would  be 
difficult  to  tell  which  one  was  right;  they  might  be 
all  wrong,  but  it  would  be  clear  that  only  one  of 
them  could  by  any  possibility  be  right.  A  man  might 
claim  the  gift  of  infallibility  for  his  o^vn  watch,  which 
would  not  be  modest;  or  we  might  say,  "There  is  no 
telling  what  o'clock  it  is,"  which  would  be  uncom- 
fortable; or  we  might  say,  "It  would  be  convenient 
if  there  were  a  big  town  clock  by  which  we  could  all 
regulate  our  watches."  What  we  want  in  this  uni- 
versal conflict  about  moral  questions  is  a  town  clock 
to  tell  us  the  time  of  day. 

Others  say  that  there  is  so  much  in  the  Bible  that 
could  not  have  come  from  God;  that  this  or  that,  for 
instance,  is  not  God's  style.  I  don't  know  just  what 
God's  style  is,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  what  is  fair 
for  one  is  fair  for  the  other;  and  when  I  ask  that  my 
verifying  faculty  be  allowed  the  privilege  of  eliminat- 
ing from  the  Bible  what  I  do  not  like,  I  am  fair  enough 
to  say  that  my  next-door  neighbor  may  have  the  same 
privilege.  It  may  turn  out  that  his  eclecticism  has 
not  hit  upon  the  same  thing  to  take  out  or  keep  in 
as  mine  has.  Now  when  we  have  all  taken  out  what 
we  do  not  think  could  have  come  from  God,  I  should 
like  to  know  how  much  of  the  Bible  would  be  left 
except  that  for  which  the  bookbinder  is  responsible. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 

64 


DAY 
XXV 


An  hour  alone  with  God  isn't  lost  time. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Persevering  pray  erf  ulness— day  by  day  wTestling 
and  pleading— is  harder  for  the  flesh  than  preaching. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

Real  prayer  is  need  packed  till  it  takes  fire. 

A.  C.  Dixon. 

"  Thy  will  be  done  "  is  the  key-note  to  which  every 
prayer  must  be  tuned. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

"Praying  in  the  Holy  Ghost"  (Jude  20).  Not 
simply  the  Holy  Ghost  praying  in  you.  You  are  im- 
mersed in  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  atmosphere  you 
breathe  is  what  you  give  out.  It  is  wTong  to  imagine 
that  prayer  is  only  speaking  to  God.  Often  the  most 
precious  part  of  it  is  God  speaking  to  us.  On  Jacob's 
ladder  angels  descended  as  well  as  ascended.  The 
closet  is  the  place  of  revelation. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

Prayer  is  the  most  necessary  and  wonderful  thing 
in  the  spiritual  life;  yet  we  know  neither  how  to  pray 
nor  for  what  to  pray  as  we  ought,  so  the  Spirit  prays 
for  us  with  groanings  unutterable.  We  often  do  not 
know  what  the  Spirit  is  doing  within  us;  but  God, 
who  searches  the  hearts,  finds  out,  and  answers  the 
prayer  of  the  Spirit  because  it  is  according  to  his  will. 
What  a  solemn,  blessed,  comforting  thought! 

Andrew  Murray. 

65 


DAY 
XXVI 


Receive  with  meekness  the  engrafted  Word,  which  is  able  to 
save  your  souls.— James  i.  21. 

God  has  given  only  two  perfect  things  to  this  lost 
world:  one  of  them  is  the  incarnate  Word,  which  is 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  the  other  is  the  written  Word, 
which  is  the  Holy  Scripture.  There  is  a  divine  ele- 
ment and  a  human  element  in  both. 

James  H.  Brookes. 


Believe  God's  Word  as  it  stands;  you  need  not  in- 
terpret God's  words  until  you  have  altogether  changed 
their  meaning,  as  some  expositors  do. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

The  best  way  to  be  equipped  for  the  work  is  to  be 
deeply  taught  in  the  Word.  If  we  want  the  work 
"well  in  hand,"  we  must  have  the  Word  "well  in 
hand."  But  it  is  one  thing  to  have  the  Bible  in  the 
hand,  and  quite  another  thing  to  know  how  to  handle 
it.  The  Word  of  God  is  called  by  Paul  "  the  sword 
of  the  Spirit."  Any  one  can  hold  a  sword,  but  only 
an  expert  can  use  it  skilfully.  .  .  . 

A  man  might  come  from  hell,  his  eyes  bursting 
with  terror,  his  flesh  scorched  with  the  fires  of  per- 
dition, fly  through  your  congregation  as  you  preach, 
and  cry,  "  Flee  from  the  wrath  which  is  to  come." 
He  might  be  followed  by  another,  clad  in  white,  from 
the  heavenly  city  to  tell  of  the  joys  about  God's 
throne.  And  if  the  Spirit  of  God  is  not  there  it  will 
pass  without  effect  from  your  people. 

W.  W.  Clark. 

66 


DAY 

xxvn 


God  is  a  Spirit:  and  they  that  worship  him  must  worship  him 
in  spirit  and  in  truth.— John  iv.  24. 

The  only  living  that  is  acceptable  to  God  is  living 
in  the  Spirit.  The  only  walk  that  is  acceptable  to 
God  is  walking  in  the  Spirit.  The  only  service  that 
is  acceptable  to  God  is  serving  in  the  Spirit.  The 
only  praying  that  is  acceptable  to  God  is  praying  in 
the  Spirit.  The  only  worship  that  is  acceptable  to 
God  is  worshiping  in  the  Spirit.  Would  we  worship 
aright,  our  hearts  must  look  up  and  cry,  ''Teach  me, 
Holy  Spirit,  to  worship,"  and  he  will  do  it. 

R.  A.  TORREY. 

The  service  of  the  Israelites  was  very  similar  to 
that  of  surrounding  nations;  but  whereas  the  latter 
kindled  the  fires  upon  their  altars,  God  distinguished 
his  service  by  sending  down  fire  from  heaven.  That 
is  the  difference  between  true  religion  and  its  coun- 
terfeit. Natural  religion  depends  on  the  energy  of 
the  flesh.  Supernatural  religion  depends  on  the  en- 
ergy of  the  Spirit  of  God,  which  comes  down  from 
above.  It  is  quite  possible  to  be  perfectly  right  in 
the  forms  of  our  service,  and  yet  destitute  of  divine 
power.  George  F.  Pentecost. 

It  is  a  blessed  privilege  to  fall  before  our  Saviour 
and  worship,  though  all  his  dealings  with  us  are  as 
dark  as  night.  A.  C.  Dixon. 

Those  who  are  in  communion  with  God  live,  those 
who  are  not  are  dead.  Henry  Drummond. 


67 


DAY 

XX  vm 

Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature.— Mark  xvi.  15. 

There  is  the  great  commission,  "  Go  ye."  Where 
men  are  ordered  to  enroll  themselves  as  soldiers,  it 
is  their  business  to  do  so  thereupon.  If  they  are 
exempt,  the  onus  probandi  as  to  exemption  rests  upon 
them  and  not  upon  the  executive.  It  is  for  us  to 
do;  as  when  Deborah  and  Barak  called  for  troops, 
"the  people  willingly  offered  themselves.  Let  us 
recognize  our  obligation  and  offer  ourselves. 

WlILLAM  ASHMORE. 

There  is  no  question  that  if  we  had  a  human  im- 
perial authority  we  could  go  around  the  globe  in  a 
year,  and  promulgate  this  gospel  decree  all  through 
the  world.  And  yet  we  stand  still  when  the  King  of 
kings  is  saying  to  us,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

If  we  could  only  put  ourselves  into  harmony  with 
God,  how  easily  the  great  work  of  carrying  the  gos- 
pel into  all  the  world  would  be  fulfilled,  and  the  time 
brought  near  when  our  Redeemer  shall  come  as  a 
King  to  reign  and  to  judge  the  poor  with  equity! 
There  is  something  wrong  when  one  man  can  sit  in 
a  palace  while  another  is  perishing  with  hunger  at 
his  door.  W.  E.  Blackstone. 

Work  enough  at  home?  There  will  be  more 
work  at  home  if  we  don't  take  hold  of  missions 
more  in  earnest.  .  .  .  Christianity  is  nothing  if  it  is 
not  missionary.  Your  Christianity  is  nothing  if  it 
is  not  missionary.  John  A.  Broadus. 

68 


[Mouth  of  iMarch 

Lenteu  Lilies 
Andrew  Murray  IVaiiamaker  Falls 


The  sins  of  teachers  are  the  teachers  of  sins.  Be- 
ware of  the  bad  things  of  good  men. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

No  amount  of  praying  or  psalm-singing  will  cover 
up  a  sin.  A  lady  once  said  to  me,  "  I  am  more  irri- 
table than  I  was  five  years  ago.  Can  you  help  me?  " 
I  answered,  "The  next  time  you  are  angry  with  a 
person,  go  and  confess  it,  and  ask  forgiveness."  "  Oh," 
she  said,  "  I  shouldn't  like  to  do  that."  Of  course 
not.  I  shouldn't  like  to  take  cod-liver  oil,  but  I  should 
do  it  to  save  my  life.  When  people  do  with  their 
souls  as  they  would  with  their  bodies,  there  will  be 
something  accomplished. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Many  of  us  would  love  to  have  sin  taken  away. 
Who  loves  to  have  a  hasty  temper?  Who  loves  to 
have  a  proud  disposition?  Who  loves  to  have  a 
worldly  heart?  No  one.  You  ask  Christ  to  take  it 
away,  and  he  doesn't  do  it.  Why  does  he  not  do  it? 
It  is  because  you  wanted  him  to  take  away  the  ugly 
fruits  while  the  poisonous  root  remained  in  you.  You 
did  not  ask  him  that  the  flesh  should  be  nailed  to  his 
cross,  and  that  you  should  henceforth  give  up  self 
entirely  to  the  power  of  his  spirit. 

Do  you  suppose  that  a  painter  would  want  to  work 
out  a  beautiful  picture  on  a  canvas  which  did  not 
belong  to  him?  No.  Yet  people  want  Jesus  Christ 
to  bestow  his  trouble  upon  them  in  taking  away  this 
temper  or  that  other  sin  while  as  yet  they  have  not 
yielded  themselves  utterly  to  his  command  and  his 
keeping. 

Andrew  Murray. 

69 


DAY  -^^^^..^vy^^-^-r^'S^. 

n 

Love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the  world. 
—1  John  ii.  15. 

We  are  living  under  a  materializing  influence  that 
is  disastrous  to  a  more  serious  and  devotional  view 
of  life.  In  the  minds  of  a  great  many  good  people 
the  ideal  of  human  existence  is  a  great  deal  of  ma- 
terial comfort  and  a  large  surplus  of  pleasure  that 
can  be  purchased  in  the  form  of  desirable  surround- 
ings. These  ideals  rise  in  the  scale  of  magnitude  and 
grandeur  every  year,  and  men  say,  "When  I  can 
realize  this  ideal  of  earthly  paradise,  I  am  going  to 
devote  a  great  deal  of  time  to  devotional  preparation 
for  the  next  world."  The  trouble  is  that  they  no 
sooner  get  their  house  on  the  sea-shore  than  they 
want  a  house  in  the  mountains,  and  when  they  have 
that  they  want  a  house  somewhere  else.  They  say, 
"  Wait  till  my  cat-boat  grows  into  a  sloop,  and  my 
sloop  into  a  schooner,  and  my  schooner  into  a  steam- 
yacht;  then  I  devise  liberal  things."  But  the  "  then  " 
never  comes.  Meanwhile  they  have  become  so  im- 
mersed in  this  world,  and  so  filled  with  the  spirit  of 
this  world,  and  so  absorbed  in  the  pursuit  of  this 
w^orld's  pleasure  and  comfort,  that  they  have  no  time 
to  read  this  Bible  as  they  ought  to  read  it. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 

Love  not  this  world,  because  if  you  love  it  you 
cannot  love  Him.  Love  not  this  world,  because  if 
you  love  it  you  love  something  that  by  and  by  will 
be  ashes,  and,  while  you  thought  you  were  grasping 
the  honors  of  the  world  that  now  is  and  is  to  come, 
you  will  find  you  have  grasped  only  the  hot,  dusty 
ashes  of  the  world  that  is  to  come. 

Robert  E.  Speer. 
70 


DAY 

m 


Daniel  purposed  in  his  heart  that  he  would  not  defile  himself 
with  the  portion  of  the  king's  meat,  nor  with  the  wine  which  he 
drank.— Dan.  i.  8. 


Modern  travelers  commonly  do  not  get  half-way 
to  Babylon  before  they  conclude  that  it  is  more 
prudent  to  follow  the  example  of  the  multitude,  on 
the  drinking  question,  than  to  stand  out  by  them- 
selves, as  did  Daniel,  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abed- 
nego;  so  they  drink  the  wines  of  the  European  tables, 
as  "everybody  else  does."  When  they  have  come 
to  that  conclusion  they  are  in  a  good  state  to  con- 
sider further  whether  it  is  wise  to  be  cast  into  a  den 
of  lions  or  a  fiery  furnace  of  invidious  comment  rather 
than  conform  to  the  universal  custom  of  the  country 
they  are  in,  as  to  times  and  modes  of  worship,  as  to 
local  amusements,  and  as  to  a  courteous  recognition 
of  the  images  which  King  Fashion  has  set  up  to  be 
admired  and  extolled. 

Henry  Clay  Trumbull. 


Will  the  Christian  find  that  he  gets  peace  and  joy 
so  long  as  he  tries  to  satisfy  his  soul  by  saying  that 
his  worldly  taste  is  "only  a  little  one"?  I  do  not 
say  that  it  is  ^vrong  to  smoke  or  for  a  Christian  to 
go  to  the  theater.  That  is  for  each  one  to  settle 
with  his  God.  But  when  Christians  draw  quibbling 
distinctions  between  great  and  small  sins,  between 
one  theater  and  another,  one  dance  and  another,  it 
is  clear  that  the  conscience  is  not  at  rest,  and  there 
can  be  no  rest  till  God's  voice  is  fully  and  heartily 
obeyed. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

71 


DAY 
IV 


Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his 
thoughts,  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord.— Isa.  li.  7. 

If  you  ever  expect  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  God, 
you  must  give  up  your  thoughts  and  accept  God's 
thoughts,  give  up  your  ways  and  accept  God's  ways; 
for  his  thoughts  and  ways  are  as  high  above  ours 
as  is  the  heaven  above  the  earth. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Get  the  love  of  Jesus  into  your  heart,  and  the  lust 
for  woman  and  man,  the  lust  for  gold,  and  the  lust 
for  drink  will  be  crowded  out.  Money!  It  was  for 
money  that  Zaccheus  was  damning  his  soul;  but 
Jesus  so  took  possession  of  his  heart  that  he  virtu- 
ally said,  "  Lord,  as  to  money,  I  will  fling  it  away  by 
the  shovelful,  now  that  I  know  thee;  I  will  restore 
fourfold."  You  say  that  you  are  converted.  Show 
me  your  hands;  show  me  your  purse.  Do  not  pre- 
tend that  you  know  Jesus  if  you  have  a  purse  as 
tight  as  a  miser's  fist.  You  say  that  you  are  con- 
verted. Are  you  delivered  from  that  which  before 
was  dragging  you  down  to  the  pit?  Folks  go  about 
scorning  conversion.  Nobody  in  Jericho  scorned 
and  scoffed  at  the  conversion  of  Zaccheus.  It  had 
all  the  signs  of  a  genuine  turning  of  the  man  inside 
out  and  outside  in.  He  was  radically  changed,  and 
it  was  the  love  of  Christ  that  did  it.  Zaccheus  came 
out  of  curiosity  to  see  this  man  Jesus.  He  saw  him, 
and  he  got  such  a  close  look  at  him  that  his  heart 
rose  up  and  said,  "This  is  the  Lord."  That  was 
faith,  saving  faith.  It  works  by  love  and  purifies 
the  heart  and  overcomes  the  world. 

John  McNeill. 

72 


DAY 
V 


The  law  was  given  by  Moses,  but  grace  and  truth  came  by 
Jesus  Christ.— John  i.  17. 


The  law  slays  the  sinner,  grace  slays  the  sin. 

Ada  R.  Habershon. 


Our  first  union  was  with  the  law;  and  the  law 
said,  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind.  Thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  We  never  brought  forth 
one  single  particle  of  fruit  to  God  during  such  con- 
nection. Knowing  that  "  cursed  is  every  one  that 
continueth  not  in  all  things  that  are  written  in  the 
book  of  the  law  to  do  them,"  we  have  never  continued 
for  one  mortal  hour  in  all  things  or  in  any  of  the 
things  written  in  the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them.  We 
could  bring  forth  no  fruit  to  God  in  our  connection 
with  the  law.  That  is  why  he  sent  the  law— that 
we  might  learn  this  truth.  Some  people  think  they 
can  be  justified  by  the  law  that  condemns  them  to 
eternal  torment.  It  is  impossible;  we  must  look  for 
justification  to  some  one  who  was  able  to  satisfy  the 
demands  of  the  law  and  of  justice. 

Marcus  Rainsford. 


The  law  produces  legal  conviction  and  leads  to 
despair;  the  gospel  produces  evangelical  conviction 
and  leads  to  hope. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 


73 


DAY 
VI 


If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our 
sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness.— 1  John  i.  9. 

Some  one  has  said,  "  Unconfessed  sin  in  the  soul 
is  like  a  bullet  in  the  body."  If  you  haven't  power, 
it  may  be  there  is  some  sin  that  needs  to  be  con- 
fessed, something  in  your  life  that  needs  to  be 
straightened  out.  No  amount  of  psalm-singing,  no 
amount  of  attending  religious  gatherings,  no  amount 
of  praying,  no  amount  of  reading  your  Bible,  is  going 
to  cover  up  anything  of  that  kind.  If  I  have  too 
much  pride  to  confess  my  sins,  I  needn't  expect 
mercy  from  God  or  answers  to  my  prayers. 

"  He  that  covereth  his  sins  shall  not  prosper."  He 
may  be  a  man  in  the  pulpit,  a  priest  behind  the  altar, 
or  a  king  on  the  throne— I  don't  care  who  he  is;  he 
will  fail.  Man  has  been  trying  it  for  six  thousand 
years.  Adam  tried  it  and  failed ;  Moses  tried  it  when 
he  buried  the  Egyptian,  but  he  failed;  David  tried 
it;  priests  and  kings  and  princes  and  the  best  men 
that  ever  trod  the  earth  have  tried  it,  but  all  have 
failed.  "  Be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out."  You 
cannot  bury  your  sins  so  deep  that  there  will  not  be 
a  resurrection  by  and  by,  if  they  have  not  been 
blotted  out  by  the  Son  of  God.  What  man  has 
failed  to  do  for  six  thousand  years  you  and  I  would 
best  give  up  trying  to  do. 

The  reason  that  some  people's  prayers  go  no  higher 
than  their  head  is  because  they  have  some  uncon- 
fessed sin  in  their  lives.  You  may  pray  and  weep 
and  pray  and  weep,  but  it  will  do  no  good.  First 
confess  to  the  one  you  have  ^\Tonged,  then  go  to 
God  and  see  how  quickly  he  will  hear  you. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

74 


DAY 

vn 

All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is  profitable 
for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in 
righteousness:  that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly 
furnished  unto  all  good  works.— 2  Tim.  iii.  16. 

The  Bible  contains  a  complete  rule  for  the  whole 
life  of  man.  It  tells  a  man  how  he  should  conduct 
himself  with  reference  to  God,  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  to 
the  Holy  Spirit,  to  the  Word  which  God  has  given, 
and  to  the  church  which  he  has  established.  It 
directs  him  how  he  should  treat  his  ^^ife  and  care 
for  his  children;  how  much  he  should  pay  his  hired 
man,  and  when  he  should  pay  him.  It  teaches  the 
hired  man  how  he  should  conduct  himself  with  ref- 
erence to  his  employer.  It  tells  men  how  to  loan 
money  and  how  to  collect  debts  as  well  as  how  to 
worship.  It  teaches  a  man  what  kind  of  a  citizen 
he  should  be,  how  he  ought  to  vote  if  he  is  in  a  self- 
governing  country.  If  he  is  a  magistrate  it  directs 
him  how  he  ought  to  exercise  authority,  and  says 
that  God  ^ill  call  him  to  account  for  the  manner  in 
which  he  executes  his  office. 

We  are  apt  to  narrow  do\^Ti  the  teachings  of  the 
Bible  and  the  business  of  the  church,  and  to  suppose 
that  they  have  to  do  chiefly  \^ith  the  work  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  that  they  have  little  or  nothing  to  do 
with  our  pleasures,  our  business,  or  our  political  and 
our  industrial  relations;  but  the  testimony  of  the 
Word  of  God  is  that  this  Book  is  given  by  inspiration 
of  God,  and  that  it  is  "profitable  for  doctrine,  for 
reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in  right  doing: 
that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  fur- 
nished unto  every  good  work,"  not  simply  to  some 
good  works. 

Charles  A.  Blanchard. 

75 


DAY 

vm 


There  are  graces  within  our  reach  that  we  will 
never  seek  until  we  are  hard  pressed  by  temptation 
in  the  opposite  direction.  It  is  a  profound  mistake 
merely  to  resist  the  tempter;  a  better  policy  is  to 
turn  from  the  temptation  to  acquire  the  opposite 
grace.  If  you  are  tempted  to  impurity,  claim  purity; 
if  you  are  tempted  to  impatience,  claim  patience;  if 
tempted  to  weakness,  claim  strength. 

We  must  watch  not  only  our  weak  points,  but  our 
strong  points,  for  many  of  the  great  Bible  heroes 
failed  on  their  strong  points;  Moses  in  his  meekness 
and  Job  in  his  patience.  There  is  nothing  in  which 
men  are  naturally  strong  that  can  stand  against  the 
power  of  our  great  adversary.  Yielding  is  the  result 
of  long  previous  decline;  the  sin  which  breaks  out 
in  the  manifestation  has  far-reaching  roots,  and  to 
be  confessed  properly  one  needs  to  go  back  from  the 
act  to  the  intention,  and  from  the  intention  to  the 
purpose,  through  the  weeks  or  months  of  previous 
life,  until  one  gets  at  last  to  the  beginning  of  the 
sin ;  then  confess  it  in  order  that  it  may  be  expiated 
before  God. 

There  is  this  blessed  thought— that  there  is  re- 
ciprocity between  Christ  and  ourselves;  and  in  this 
the  tempted  man  finds  succor,  first,  that  he  is  in 
Christ,  and,  second,  that  Christ  is  in  him.  If  you 
are  in  Christ  you  are  in  the  one  under  whose  feet 
the  devil  is.  Abide  there  and  you  too  are  above  the 
devil,  and  therefore— now  mark— the  whole  energy 
of  the  devil  is  directed  to  solicit,  to  seduce  men  out 
of  Christ.  F.  B.  Meyer. 


76 


DAY 
IX 


Some  people  ask  how  a  man  is  to  know  that  he  is 
saved.  How  do  you  know  anything?  Suppose  that 
I  am  dealing  with  an  inquirer  who  has  accepted 
Christ,  but  has  not  the  assurance  which  a  believer 
should  have.  Do  I  ask  him  to  kneel  down  and  pray 
and  pray  until  some  happy  feeling  comes  into  his 
heart  ?  If  I  do,  I  do  not  know  how  to  lead  a  soul  to 
Christ.  No;  I  take  God's  Word  and  put  it  into  his 
hand,  and  say,  "  My  friend,  ^v\\\  you  read  the  thirty- 
sixth  verse  of  the  third  chapter  of  John :  '  He  that 
believeth  on  the  Son  of  God  hath  everlasting  life.' " 
I  say  to  him,  "  Who  has  everlasting  life ? "  "He  that 
believes  on  the  Son  of  God."  "Do  you  believe  on 
the  Son  of  God ? "  "I  do."  " Have  you  everlasting 
life?"  "No;  I  do  not  feel  it!"  "Will  you  please 
read  that  again  ?  "  And  he  reads,  "  He  that  believeth 
on  the  Son  of  God  hath  everlasting  life."  I  say, "  Who 
has  everlasting  life  ? "  He  looks  at  the  Book  and  says, 
"  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son."  I  say,  "  Do  you  be- 
lieve on  the  Son?"  "I  do."  "What  have  you?" 
"  Why,  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  anything."  "  WTiat 
does  that  verse  say  that  the  one  that  believes  on  the 
Son  of  God  hath?  How  many  of  those  who  believe 
on  the  Son  have  everlasting  life?  "  "  All  of  them." 
"How  do  you  know  it?"  "It  says  so."  "Do  you 
believe  on  the  Son ? "  "I  do."  "  WTiat  have  you ? " 
"  Everlasting  life! "  "  How  do  you  know  it  ? "  "  Be- 
cause God  says  so."  It  is  only  after  he  rests  on  what 
God  says  in  his  Word  that  he  has  the  testimony  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Faith  in  the  Word  of  God  comes 
first.  R.  A.  ToRREY. 


77 


DAY  ^^^^^^^--^-r^-^^. 


X 


With  what  weapons  do  the  missionaries  propose 
to  do  this  mighty  work  of  conquering  the  heathen 
world  for  Christ  ?  With  nothing  but  "  a  little  book." 
That  is  like  Moses  going  down  with  a  sheep-crook  to 
conquer  Pharaoh  and  all  his  host.  Any  weapon  is 
enough  if  the  Lord  is  only  behind  it.  The  little  Book 
is  enough  if  the  Lord  only  helps  you  to  use  it.  A 
Christian  warrior  should  always  carry  his  fighting 
Testament  in  his  pistol  pocket.  If  you  cannot  carry 
around  with  you  a  double-barreled  Testament,  always 
carry  a  single-barreled  one. 

William  Ashmore. 

When  a  man  is  giving  a  lecture  with  a  map  or 
illustrations,  he  often  uses  a  long  pointer  to  indicate 
the  places  or  illustrations.  Does  the  audience  look 
at  that  pointer?  No.  It  might  be  of  fine  gold,  but 
the  pointer  cannot  satisfy  them.  They  want  to  see 
what  the  pointer  points  at.  The  Bible  is  nothing 
but  a  pointer  pointing  to  God ;  and  Jesus  Christ  came 
to  point  us,  to  show  us  the  way,  to  bring  us  to  God. 

I  fear  that  there  are  many  people  who  love  Christ 
and  trust  in  him,  but  who  fail  to  see  the  one  great 
object  of  his  work;  they  have  never  understood 
the  Scripture,  "  He  died  that  he  might  bring  us  to 
God."  There  is  a  difference  between  the  way  I  am 
going  and  the  end  I  have  in  view.  I  might  be  travel- 
ing amid  beautiful  scenery,  in  delightful  company, 
but  if  I  have  a  home  which  I  long  to  reach  all  the 
scenery  and  company  around  me  cannot  satisfy  me. 
God  is  meant  to  be  the  home  of  our  souls. 

Andrew  Murray, 


78 


DAY 
XI 


Men  tell  us  so*metimes  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
an  atheist.  There  must  be.  There  are  some  men 
to  whom  it  is  true  that  there  is  no  God.  They  can- 
not see  God  because  they  have  no  eye.  They  have 
only  an  abortive  organ,  atrophied  by  neglect. 

Henry  Drummond. 

A  good  many  people  live  on  negations.  They  are 
always  telling  what  they  don't  believe.  I  want  a 
man  to  tell  me  what  he  does  believe,  not  what  he 
does  not  believe. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Young  gentlemen,  believe  your  beliefs  and  doubt 
your  doubts;  do  not  make  the  mistake  of  doubting 
your  beliefs  and  believing  your  doubts. 

Charles  F.  Deems. 

Nothing  cuts  out  the  roots  of  the  Christian  life 
so  much  as  unbelief. 

Andrew  Murray. 

Hinder  not  the  will  of  God  by  a  spirit  of  unbelief, 
by  limiting  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  because  you 
thereby  reject  his  holy  counsel  and  purpose  for  you. 
Train  your  souls  in  a  spirit  of  receptivity  and  by  the 
exercise  of  faith  to  take  all  that  God  himself  can 
give.  Be  determined  that  *'  your  whole  spirit,  soul, 
and  body  "—whatever  department  of  your  being  you 
can  deal  with— shall  be  placed  submissively  at  the 
disposal  of  God,  to  know,  to  receive,  and  to  enjoy 
everything  that  God  can  possibly  give  you. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

79 


DAY 

xn 


Christianity  stands  out  as  a  kind  of  "spiritual 
highland  "  and  headland  for  the  human  race,  a  sys- 
tem which,  the  more  it  is  studied  and  experienced, 
is  the  more  highly  prized;  its  path  is  always  the  path 
of  peace,  knowledge,  elevation,  emancipation,  salva- 
tion; a  system  various  in  manner,  flexible  in  its  cir- 
cumstantials, while  most  inflexible  in  its  essence; 
full  of  strength  for  the  weak,  of  consolation  for  the 
sorrowful,  of  hope  for  the  discouraged,  of  stimulus 
for  the  sluggish,  of  defense  for  the  defenseless,  of 
authority  for  the  many,  of  terror  for  the  evil,  of 
reward  for  the  good,  of  pardon  for  the  penitent;  a 
system  which  can  satisfy  all  the  desires  that  human 
want  awakens,  which  can  enter  all  dark  places  and 
leave  them  full  of  light  by  conquering  despair  and 
instituting  its  wonderful  miracles  of  renovation;  a 
system  which  can  convert  dens  of  thieves  into  bethels 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  which  can  cast  out  its  legion 
of  devils,  and  say  to  wretches  whose  brains  have 
been  in  a  perpetual  "  craze  "  and  whose  hearts  have 
been  filled  with  all  sorts  of  villainies,  "  Peace,  be 
still ; "  a  system  which  can  stand  by  the  bedside  of 
the  dying,  quell  every  misgiving,  wipe  away  the 
death-sweat,  and  leave  the  brow  calm  and  serene  as 
heaven;  a  system  which  can  perfect  the  individual, 
bless  the  family,  correct  and  purify  society,  and 
civilize  the  world;  which  can,  in  fine,  do  everything 
it  promises  to  do,  and  promises  to  do  everything  es- 
sential to  human  happiness  here  and  hereafter- 
such  a  system  has  the  unencumbered  guaranty  of 
all  times. 

L.  T.  TOWNSEND. 


80 


DAY 

xin 


God  has  given  us  two  sets  of  scales  in  our  mental 
and  moral  constitution.  One  of  these  scales  is  in- 
tended to  weigh  evidence  and  subject  it  to  rational 
proofs;  the  other  is  to  weigh  right  and  wrong  and 
to  ascertain  the  difference  between  morality  and 
immorality.  Reason's  office  is  to  weigh  evidence; 
conscience's  office  is  to  weigh  right  and  wrong. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

If  a  man  is  morally  color-blind  he  is  likely  to  be 
wrong— conscientiously.  That  faculty  or  element 
in  our  nature  which  we  call  "conscience"  is  set 
within  us  as  a  monitor,  not  as  a  teacher,  in  the  school 
of  morals.  Conscience  tells  us  that  we  ought  to  do 
right,  but  conscience  does  not  tell  us  what  right  is. 
The  compass  is  safe  to  steer  by  as  long  as  its  needle 
points  where  it  ought  to  point;  but  the  compass- 
needle  may  be  forcibly  deflected  from  the  pole,  or  it 
may  be  drawn  aside  by  the  influences  of  its  surround- 
ings, and  then,  of  course,  it  is  untrustworthy. 

It  would  be  well  if  all  of  us  understood  just  how  far 
from  the  true  meridian  our  moral  compass-needles 
were  deflected  by  the  attractions  of  gold  or  pleasure 
or  appetite  or  ambition  or  love  or  hatred  or  by  the 
social  atmosphere  of  our  immediate  neighborhood. 
Henry  Clay  Trumbull. 

Conscience  is  not  a  safe  guide,  because  very  often 
conscience  won't  tell  you  you  have  done  wrong  until 
after  you  have  done  it,  but  the  Bible  will  tell  you 
what  is  wrong  before  you  have  done  it. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

81 


DAY 
XIV 


Faith  is  totally  distinct  from  trust.  By  faith  we 
claim;  by  trust  we  prove  that  we  have  taken,  and 
that  the  gifts  of  God  have  become  to  us  what  God 
in  his  omnipotence  intended  them  to  be. 

Faith  takes  into  our  soul  what  God  in  his  mercy 
reveals,  and  believes  God  against  all  comers.  Trust 
hands  over  to  God  what  God  has  given  us,  and  says, 
"  Keep,  Lord,  and  use,  for  I  cannot."  Then  comes 
a  holy  confidence  and  assurance  which  prevents  us 
from  being  disturbed  under  any  circumstances  what- 
ever, and  out  of  which  comes  a  boldness  which  en- 
ables us  to  act  for  the  glory  of  God.  Faith  when  it 
has  conceived  brings  forth  trust,  and  trust  when  it 
is  finished  brings  forth  confidence  and  boldness. 

Alexander  the  Great  had  a  physician  who  was  his 
bosom  friend.  One  day  there  came  an  anonymous 
letter  on  a  waxed  tablet  to  the  king.  "  0  king, 
there  is  treachery  in  thy  home.  Thy  physician  pur- 
poses to  kill  thee  by  the  draft  which  he  gives  thee 
to-morrow  under  the  plea  of  healing  thee."  The 
king  put  that  waxed  tablet  into  his  breast,  and  the 
next  day,  when  the  physician  came  to  give  him  the 
draft,  he  put  out  his  left  hand  and  took  the  cup,  and 
with  his  right  hand  handed  the  tablet  to  the  physi- 
cian and  said,  "  Friend,  I  trust  thee,"  and  drank  the 
potion  without  stopping  a  moment  to  see  the  effect 
upon  the  physician.  It  is  not  enough  to  believe  that 
Christ  is  the  great  Physician;  you  must  trust  him. 
We  trust  the  cook  every  day.  What  fools  we  are 
that  we  cannot  trust  God! 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 


82 


DAY 
XV 


My  little  boy,  since  taken  to  heaven,  once  asked 
me,  "  Papa,  how  is  it  that  one  person,  Christ,  could 
atone  for  the  sin  of  millions  of  men?"  We  were  in 
a  garden  at  the  time.  I  replied,  "  Suppose  that  there 
was  on  the  ground  there  a  handful  of  worms;  don't 
you  think  that  you  would  be  more  valuable  than  those 
worms?"  "  Yes,"  he  said.  " Suppose  that  that  wheel- 
barrow was  full  of  worms;  would  you  not  be  more 
valuable  than  all  of  them  ?  "  "  Yes."  "  Suppose  all  the 
millions  of  worms  in  the  earth  were  gathered  to- 
gether; would  you  not  still  be  more  valuable  than 
they,  no  matter  how  many?"  "Yes;  I  am  sure  I 
would."  "  Then  is  there  not  a  far  greater  difference 
in  the  scale  of  being  between  Christ  and  man  than 
between  man  and  the  worm?  We  are  creatures; 
God  is  the  Creator.  Had  many  other  worlds  sinned 
as  well  as  ours,  the  blood  of  Christ  would  be  more 
than  sufficient  to  atone  for  them  all." 

R.  C.  Morgan. 

Let  us  consider  for  a  moment  our  standing  with 
Christ.  Again  we  must  distinguish.  The  death  of 
Christ  has  two  aspects:  one  toward  the  guilt  of  sin, 
the  other  toward  the  power  of  sin.  The  aspect  to- 
ward the  guilt  of  sin  is  that  by  his  one  oblation  and 
sacrifice  he  has  put  the  guilt  away  forever,  and  the 
thunder-clouds  that  lower  over  his  cross  spend  them- 
selves on  Calvary,  and  his  cross  is  a  lightning-con- 
ductor to  draw  away  what  men  might  fear.  But 
Christ  not  only  died /or  sin,  but  he  died  unto  sin. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

83 


DAY 
XVI 


It  has  taxed  many  minds  to  explain  what  Jesus 
could  have  meant  when  on  the  cross  he  cried,  "  My 
God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?" 

It  seems  to  me  that  we  may  see  its  meaning  more 
clearly  in  the  light  of  an  incident  which  happened 
in  the  eastern  part  of  Massachusetts  some  years  ago. 
A  judge  was  obliged  to  try  his  own  son,  who  had 
been  charged  with  some  crime.  There  was  great 
anxiety  to  know  how  that  judge  would  conduct  the 
case.  To  the  astonishment  of  everybody,  the  judge 
was  just  as  impartial  and  unmoved  as  if  the  young 
man  had  had  no  relation  to  him.  When  he  had  heard 
the  evidence  he  charged  the  jury  with  just  the  same 
exactness  and  carefulness  as  if  he  had  not  known 
the  accused.  People  were  astonished.  They  said 
he  had  no  heart.  But  when  the  jury  uttered  the 
words  "  Not  guilty  "  the  judge  jumped  up,  reached 
out  his  hands,  and  cried,  "  Come  up  here,  my  boy." 
He  took  his  son  right  into  his  seat  on  the  bench. 

Notice  that  in  Gethsemane  Jesus  says,  ^'Father, 
if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me."  He  also 
prayed,  "Father,  forgive  them."  But  when  he 
reached  the  culmination  of  his  agony,  when  he  stood 
before  the  judge  bearing  the  sins  of  the  world  on 
his  shoulders,— a  great  culprit,— he  could  say  "Fa- 
ther "  no  more.  For  once  it  was,  "  My  God,  my  God ! " 
But  when  it  was  all  over  and  he  rose  from  the  grave, 
once  more  he  is  filled  with  the  full  radiance  of  the 
Father's  love,  and  the  Father  places  him  at  his  own 
right  hand. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 


84 


DAY 

xvn 


If  the  amount  of  energy  lost  in  trying  to  grow 
were  spent  in  fulfilling  rather  the  conditions  of 
growth,  we  should  have  many  more  cubits  to  show 
for  our  stature.  .  .  . 

The  stature  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  not  itself 
reached  by  work,  and  he  who  thinks  to  approach  its 
mystical  height  by  anxious  effort  is  really  receding 
from  it.  .  .  . 

If  God  is  adding  to  our  spiritual  stature,  unfold- 
ing the  new  nature  within  us,  it  is  a  mistake  to  keep 
twitching  at  the  petals  with  our  coarse  fingers.  We 
must  seek  to  let  the  Creative  Hand  alone.  "It  is 
God  which  giveth  the  increase."  .  .  . 

The  life  must  develop  out  according  to  its  type, 
and,  being  a  germ  of  the  Christ-life,  it  must  unfold 
into  the  image  of  Christ. 

Henry  Drummond. 

It  is  one  thing  to  be  innocent;  it  is  another  thing 
to  be  virtuous.  It  is  one  thing  to  be  like  Adam, 
created  after  the  image  of  God  in  perfect  purity  and 
simplicity;  it  is  another  thing  to  be  like  the  perfected 
Christ,  who  was  tried  and  tempted  in  all  points  like 
as  we  are,  yet  without  sin.  Remember  that,  while 
the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanses  us  from  all  sin, 
conformity  to  the  image  of  Christ  wrought  in  us  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  means  that  we,  being  changed  from 
glory  to  glory,  may  become  like  the  Son  of  God,  and 
at  last  be  actually  one  with  him,  seeing  him  as  he  is, 
and  being  exact  facsimiles  of  his  perfect  image. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 


DAY 

xvm 


All  things  are  possible  to  him  that  believeth.— Mark  ix.  23. 

Faith  is  simply  claiming  from  God  what  God  be- 
stows, and  thankfully  accepting  the  benefits  thereof. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

Don't  let  experience  judge  your  faith;  let  your 
faith  judge  your  experience. 

Marcus  Rainsford. 

Always  put  your  "  if  "  in  the  right  place.  In  the 
case  of  the  man  who  wanted  Christ  to  cast  the  dumb 
spirit  out  of  his  son,  the  father  said,  "  If  thou  canst 
do  anything;"  but  the  Lord  answered  him,  "If  thou 
canst  believe."  Christ  straightened  out  the  "if" 
and  put  it  in  the  right  place. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

The  ten  spies  differed  from  Caleb  and  Joshua  in 
their  report  of  the  land  of  Canaan.  There  are  three 
words  here  beginning  with  G— the  word  "  God,"  the 
word  "  giant,"  and  the  word  "  grasshopper."  Now, 
note,  these  spies  made  a  great  mistake  as  to  the 
position  of  these  three  words;  they  compared  them- 
selves with  the  people  of  the  land  and  said,  "  And 
in  their  sight  we  were  as  grasshoppers."  If  they 
had  compared  the  people  of  the  land  with  God,  they 
would  have  come  back,  as  Caleb  and  Joshua  did,  who 
said  in  effect,  "  We  have  compared  the  giants  with 
God,  and  the  giants  are  as  grasshoppers." 

F.  B.  Meyer. 


86 


DAY 
XIX 


No  man  can  serve  two  masters :  for  either  he  will  hate  the  one, 
and  love  the  other;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the  one,  and  despise 
the  other.     Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon.— Matt.  vi.  24. 


We  become  inevitably  and  insensibly  assimilated 
to  that  which  most  completely  absorbs  our  time  and 
attention.  One  cannot  be  constantly  mixed  in  secu- 
lar society  without  not  only  losing  something  of  his 
interest  in  the  divine  society  of  God  and  angels,  where 
he  belongs  by  his  new  birth,  but  also  becoming  him- 
self secularized.  "Our  citizenship  is  in  heaven," 
says  the  Scripture.  It  is  a  sublime  conception  that 
even  while  here  in  the  flesh  we  hold  residence  among 
seraphs  and  saints' of  the  New  Jerusalem.  It  is  for 
us,  therefore,  scrupulously  to  keep  to  our  heavenly 
fellowship,  to  pay  taxes  where  we  live,  and  to  refuse 
to  be  assessed  by  any  rival  system  to  Christ's  true 
church— simply  because  a  divided  loyalty  is  impos- 
sible. .  .  . 

A  man  cannot  be  two  without  ceasing  to  be  one ; 
a  Christian  cannot  subdivide  himself  among  many 
interests  without  subtracting  himself  from  some  one 
interest.  .  .  . 

The  true  disciple  is  bound  to  adopt  the  double 
motto,  "  I  believe  and  I  belong." 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

When  a  man  lives  up  to  what  he  preaches,  then 
his  testimony  has  weight. 

D.  L.  Moody. 


87 


DAY 
XX 

Whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son 
whom  he  receiveth.— Heb.  xii.  6. 

It  sometimes  seems  hard  to  find  out  any  reason 
for  God's  dealings  with  his  children.  We  may  not 
be  able  to  find  out  why  we  are  afflicted,  and  may 
think  that  perhaps  it  is  because  of  some  undiscovered 
sin;  but  I  do  not  think  that  God  often  deals  with  us 
in  that  way.  He  generally  likes  to  let  his  people 
know  their  faults  when  he  chastises  them.  You  re- 
member how  when  Absalom  could  not  get  Joab  to 
come  and  talk  with  him,  he  burned  up  his  corn-fields 
and  then  Joab  came.  Now  the  Lord  often  sends 
sore  afflictions  upon  his  children  in  order  that  they 
may  come  and  talk  with  him  more.  You  remember 
that  Christ  took  away  Lazarus  in  order  that  the  sisters 
might  send  for  Him,  and  that  the  people  through  all 
ages  might  get  a  wondrous  discovery  of  Him  as  the 
resurrection  and  the  life.  And  you  remember,  too, 
how  John  the  Baptist  was  taken  away  from  his  dis- 
ciples in  order  that  they  might  rather  go  to  Christ. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

When  the  devil  tries  our  faith  it  is  that  he  may 
crush  it  or  diminish  it;  but  when  God  tries  our  faith 
it  is  to  establish  and  increase  it. 

Marcus  Rainsford. 

The  man  who  has  fallen  most  and  wandered  most 
and  caused  God  most  trouble  is  the  man  who  may 
get  some  good  out  of  his  sins  by  learning  to  deal 
with  other  men  as  God  has  dealt  with  him,  and  to 
teach  them  the  infinite  love  and  mercy  of  God. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 


DAY 
XXI 

Thou  openest  thine  hand,  and  satisfiest  the  desire  of  every  liv- 
ing thing.— Ps.  cxlv.  16. 

Look  away  from  self  to  God.  The  God  who  took 
Israel  through  the  Red  Sea  was  the  God  who  took 
them  through  Jordan  into  Canaan.  The  God  who 
converted  you  is  the  God  who  is  able  to  give  you 
every  day  this  blessed  life.  God  does  not  disinherit 
any  of  his  children.  What  he  gives  is  for  every  one. 
God  is  waiting  to  bestow  it. 

Andrew  Murray. 

There  is  no  favoritism  with  God;  just  as  the  spring 
flowers,  the  sunshine,  and  the  pure  air  are  for  all,  as 
free  to  the  beggar  as  to  the  sovereign,  so  God's 
abundant  grace  is  for  every  man  and  woman,  and 
there  is  nothing  that  any  one  has  ever  had  which 
you  may  not  have  if  you  will.  The  same  stream  is 
passing  your  door,  though  you  may  not  utilize  the 
power  to  drive  your  water-wheel;  the  same  electricity 
is  in  the  air,  though  you  have  not  learned  to  make  it 
flash  your  messages  or  do  the  work  of  your  home. 
The  same  grace  that  made  a  Luther,  a  Knox,  a  Lati- 
mer, a  Frances  Ridley  Havergal,  or  a  Spurgeon  is 
for  you  to-day,  and  if  you  are  living  a  low-down  life, 
beaten  and  thwarted  and  dashed  down  and  constantly 
compelled  to  admit  shortcomings  and  failure,  under- 
stand it  is  not  because  there  is  any  favoritism  on 
God's  part;  because  all  the  Holy  Ghost's  power,  and 
everything  which  is  stored  in  Jesus  Christ,  is  waiting 
to  make  you  a  saint  and  to  lift  you  to  the  level  which 
you  pine  for  in  your  best  moments.  It  makes  a 
great  difference  when  a  man  understands  this. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

89 


DAY 

xxn 


The  spiritual  man  having  passed  from  death  unto 
life,  the  natural  man  must  next  proceed  to  pass 
from  life  unto  death.  Having  opened  the  new  set 
of  correspondences,  he  must  deliberately  close  up 
the  old.  Regeneration,  in  short,  must  be  accom- 
panied by  degeneration. 

Henry  Drummond. 

Christ  had  no  sinful  self,  but  he  had  a  self,  and 
that  self  he  actually  gave  up  unto  death.  In  Geth- 
semane  he  said,  "Father,  not  my  will."  That  un- 
sinning  self  he  gave  up  unto  death  that  he  might 
rise  out  of  the  grave  from  God,  raised  up  and  glori- 
fied. Do  you  expect  to  go  to  heaven  any  other  way 
than  Christ  went?  Beware!  Remember  that  Christ 
descended  into  death  and  the  grave,  and  it  is  in  the 
death  of  self,  following  Jesus  to  the  uttermost,  that 
the  deliverance  and  the  life  will  come. 

Andrew  Murray. 

Dead  with  Christ,  and  buried  with  him  in  baptism! 
Our  baptism  is  the  burial  service  of  the  old  man. 
Then  what  business  have  we  ever  unearthing  a  stink- 
ing corpse?  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

There  is  a  law  of  dynamics  to  the  effect  that  for 
every  action  there  is  an  equal  and  opposite  reaction. 
There  is  a  law  in  Christianity  that  the  ascent  is 
equivalent  to  the  descent;  that  the  lower  we  get  the 
higher  we  rise;  that  the  deeper  we  drink  in  the  cup 
of  our  Saviour's  death  the  deeper  we  shall  drink  in 
the  cup  of  his  resurrection  and  ascension  to  glory. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

90 


DAY 

xxm 


The  waters  of  God's  blessings  flow  downward,  and 
he  who  would  drink  them  must  stoop. 

Our  faith  can  never  afford  to  approach  God  in 
robes  of  royalty.  Sackcloth  and  ashes  are  always 
its  proper  clothing.  Faith  can  never  grow  too  strong 
to  pray,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  We  are 
all  Pharisees  by  nature,  publicans  only  by  grace,  and 
let  us  shun  as  we  would  a  viper  all  claim  to  sinless 
perfection.  Paul  never  reached  it,  or  if  he  did  he 
was  far  from  being  conscious  of  his  high  attainment. 
When  a  comparatively  young  Christian  he  WTote,  "  I 
am  the  least  of  the  apostles."  After  he  had  grown 
in  grace  a  few  years  he  could  say,  *^  I  am  less  than 
the  least  of  all  saints."  When  he  had  grown  old  in 
God's  service  he  could  subscribe  himself  the  "  chief 
of  sinners."  A  certain  Methodist  bishop,  in  charg- 
ing a  class  of  licentiates,  said,  "  Aim  at  perfection, 
but  I  charge  you,  in  God's  name,  never  to  profess 
it."  The  place  for  true  faith  is  on  its  knees  before 
a  holy  God,  weeping  tears  of  penitence  for  its  sins 
and  rejoicing  only  in  his  righteousness. 

A.  C.  Dixon. 


When  a  man's  face  really  shines  like  Moses'  he 
wists  it  not.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

It  is  not  the  sight  of  our  sinful  heart  that  humbles 
us;  it  is  a  sight  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  am  undone  be- 
cause mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 


91 


DAY 
XXIV 


The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound 
thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it 
goeth:  so  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit.— John  iii.  8. 

We  know  that  the  wind  listeth  to  blow  where  there 
is  a  vacuum.  If  you  find  a  tremendous  rush  of  wind, 
you  know  that  somewhere  there  is  an  empty  space. 
I  am  perfectly  sure  about  this  fact:  if  we  could  ex- 
pel all  pride,  vanity,  self-righteousness,  self-seeking, 
desire  for  applause,  honor,  and  promotion,— if  by 
some  divine  power  we  should  be  utterly  emptied  of 
all  that,— the  Spirit  would  come  as  a  rushing,  mighty 
wind  to  fill  us.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

We  must  distinguish  what  the  Bible  clearly  sepa- 
rates: the  difference  between  having  the  Spirit  as  an 
indwelling  presence,  and  the  baptism  with  the  Spirit 
as  a  working  power.  I  care  not  how  full  of  imper- 
fections your  life  may  be,  just  as  surely  as  you  are 
a  child  of  God  the  Spirit  of  God  dwells  in  you.  But 
it  is  one  thing  to  have  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelling  in 
you,  and  quite  another  thing  to  have  the  Spirit  of 
God  filling  you.  There  is  a  great  difference  between 
having  a  tenant  in  the  house  and  having  a  tenant 
take  possession  of  the  house.  Now,  while  we  do  not 
need,  if  we  are  saved,  to  pray  that  the  Spirit  may 
dwell  in  us,  we  do  need  to  pray  that  he  may  dwell 
in  us  more  fully.  R.  A.  Torrey. 

Just  as  little  as  you  should  be  drunk  with  wine,  just 
so  little  should  you  live  without  being  filled  with  the 
Spirit.  Andrew  Murray. 


92 


DAY 
XXV 


Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall 
believe  on  me  through  their  word;  that  they  all  may  be  one;  as 
thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one 
in  us:  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me.— 
John  xvii.  20,  21. 

Now,  if  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  had  his  prayer 
answered,— I  suppose  no  one  will  doubt  it,— and  all 
who  believe  upon  him  are,  according  to  the  Lord's 
word  and  his  Father's  word,  in  union  with  him,  then 
see  the  consequences  that  follow.  I  never— I  never 
can  be  alone.  I  have  joys.  I  never  can  have  them 
all  to  myself.  He  rejoices  with  me.  I  have  sorrows. 
I  cannot  monopolize  them.  Jesus  knows  them— 
sympathizes  with  me  in  them.  I  have  temptations; 
he  is  touched  with  the  feeling  of  them,  for  he  was 
in  all  points  tempted  like  as  I  am,  yet  without  sin, 
that  I  might  have  a  merciful  high  priest,  and  might 
go  to  him  with  confidence  and  present  my  petition 
to  him.  In  this  life  I  can  be  in  no  position  of  lone- 
liness. Where  I  am  he  is  with  me.  Lying  down  on 
my  bed,  he  is  beside  me.  Rising  in  the  morning,  he 
is  with  me.  Walking  through  the  weary  paths  of 
life,  he  is  with  me— cannot  be  separated  from  me. 
Otherwise  this  union  is  not  true.  As  nothing  that 
concerns  me  can  concern  me  alone,  even  so  nothing 
that  concerns  Jesus  concerns  him  alone.  He  is  in- 
terested in  all  that  concerns  me,  and  I  am  interested 
in  all  that  concerns  him,  or  there  is  no  real  union. 

Marcus  Rainsford. 

Every  Christian  should  be  like  Christ,  should  live 
with  Christ,  and  find  the  fountains  of  his  being  in 
Christ.  Through  such  lives  Christ  can  speedily  win 
the  world  to  himself.  R.  E.  Speer. 

93 


DAY  ^^.v^-^^^^^.^'^. 


XXVI 


Love  is  a  wonderful  thing.  When  a  man  tries  to 
love  he  has  no  real  love,  but  the  more  opposition 
true  love  meets  the  more  it  triumphs,  for  the  more 
it  can  manifest  itself  the  more  it  rejoices.  Beware, 
above  everything,  of  being  unloving.  If  there  is 
one  thing  that  grieves  God  and  hinders  the  Spirit 
(the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love)  it  is  the  want  of 
lovingness.  Love  is  rest,  and  rest  is  love,  and  where 
there  is  no  love  the  rest  must  be  disturbed.  The  joy 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  joy  of  always  loving,  of 
losing  my  own  life  in  love  to  others. 

Andrew  Murray. 

There  is  a  day  coming  in  which  God  will  bring  to 
light  every  little  hidden  service  of  his  children,  and 
will  let  assembled  worlds  see  the  delight  he  has  had 
in  that  which  has  met  no  eye,  but  which  has  glad- 
dened the  heart  of  our  Father  in  heaven.  For  he 
is  a  Father  indeed,  and  it  is  delightful  to  realize  that 
all  that  fatherhood  ever  has  been  or  has  produced, 
all  that  motherhood  has  ever  brought  to  our  notice, 
all,  indeed,  that  is  noble  and  pure  and  tender  and 
true,  is  but  an  outcome  of  the  great,  loving  heart  of 
our  heavenly  Father.  There  is  more  light  in  the 
glorious  sun  than  in  any  of  the  thousands  of  reflec- 
tions in  the  little  dewdrops.  So  there  is  more  love 
and  complacency  and  gratification  in  his  children  in 
the  heart  of  our  heavenly  Father  than  all  the  grati- 
fication that  earthly  parents  and  earthly  friends  have 
ever  felt  in  the  objects  of  their  affection. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 


94 


DAY 

xxvn 


Paul  says  that  we  are  to  be  sound  in  faith,  in 
patience,  and  in  love.  If  a  man  is  unsound  in  his 
faith  the  clergy  take  the  ecclesiastical  sword  and 
cut  him  off  at  once.  But  he  may  be  ever  eo  unsound 
in  charity,  in  patience,  and  nothing  is  said  about 
that.  We  must  be  sound  in  faith,  in  love,  and  in 
patience  if  we  are  to  be  true  to  God. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

How  many  there  are  to-day  pretending  to  be  lov- 
ing both  God  and  the  world,  men  and  wom.en  trying  to 
touch  the  things  that  they  should  hate,  and  yet  pre- 
tending to  be  living  in  the  closest  friendship  of  Jesus 
Christ!  It  is  easy  to  put  on  the  garments,  but  it  is 
easier  to  see  through  the  thin,  miOcking  gauze  of 
them  the  true  impossibility  of  such  living.  Just  so 
truly  as  God  and  the  world  are  at  war,  so  the  mo- 
ment our  lives  are  laid  down  in  uncompromising 
obedience  to  him  they  are  laid  down  in  utter  and 
uncompromising  contrariety  with  the  things  he  has 
told  us  we  are  not  to  love.  We  must  choose  be- 
tween the  evil  love  of  the  world  and  the  overflowing 
love  of  God. 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

Contemplate  the  love  of  Christ,  and  you  will  love. 
Stand  before  that  mirror,  reflect  Christ's  character, 
and  you  will  be  changed  into  the  same  image  from 
tenderness  to  tenderness.  There  is  no  other  way. 
You  cannot  love  to  order.  You  can  only  look  at  the 
lovely  object,  and  fall  in  love  with  it  and  grow  into 
likeness  to  it. 

Henry  Drummond. 

S5 


DAY 

xxvm 


As  long  as  we  dare  to  think  that  secular  life  must 
be  a  separate  existence  from  the  spiritual,  that 
earthly  engagements  cannot  be  fulfilled  in  uninter- 
rupted communion  with  God,  just  so  long  are  we  liv- 
ing outside  the  purposes  of  God,  contradicting  the 
majesty  of  our  true  nature,  and  den3ing  the  efficacy 
of  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  There  may  be  a 
manifold  manifestation  of  the  great  purposes  of  life, 
but  throughout  all  these  manifestations  there  ought 
to  run  one  great  unity  of  principle,  one  purpose, 
one  idea,  and,  unless  that  unity  of  life  pervades  every 
operation  in  which  we  engage,  it  is  no  wonder  that 
we  lack  communion  with  God  the  Father,  and  with 
his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  that  religion  is  divorced  from 
business,  and  that  what  men  call  the  privileges  of 
the  gospel  are  in  their  minds  disassociated  with  the 
duties  and  the  demands  of  daily  existence. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

The  first  and  chief  need  of  Christian  life  is  fellovNT- 
ship  with  God.  The  divine  life  within  us  comes 
from  God  and  is  entirely  dependent  upon  him.  As 
I  need  every  moment  afresh  the  air  to  breathe,  as 
the  sun  every  moment  sends  down  its  light  afresh, 
so  it  is  only  in  the  direct  living  communication  with 
God  that  my  soul  can  be  strong.  The  manna  of  one 
day  was  corrupt  when  the  next  day  came.  I  must 
every  day  have  fresh  grace  from  heaven,  and  I 
obtain  it  only  in  direct  waiting  upon  God  himself. 
Begin  each  day  by  tarrying  before  God  and  letting 
him  touch  you.     Take  time  to  meet  God. 

Andrew  Murray. 

96 


DAY 
XXIX 


It  would  be  well  if  the  Christians  of  to-day  would 
learn  a  lesson  in  prompt  obedience  from  the  servants 
of  Ahasuerus  in  publishing  the  king^s  decree  con- 
cerning the  Jews  in  Persia.  This  was  one  of  the 
greatest  empires  of  antiquity,  reaching  from  the 
borders  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to  the  Indus,  and 
from  the  Caspian  Sea  to  the  Persian  Gulf.  It  was 
fifteen  hundred  miles  east  and  west,  and  a  thousand 
miles  north  and  south— as  large  as  the  Congo  basin 
is  to-day.  The  messengers  of  Ahasuerus  had  to 
reach  all  the  provinces  with  the  utmost  haste.  They 
had  no  postal  facilities,  no  telegraphs  or  telephones, 
no  steam-vessels  or  steam-cars;  nothing  but  drome- 
daries, camels,  and  horses  to  depend  upon.  They 
had  to  translate  this  decree  into  all  the  various 
languages  in  all  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
provinces— not  only  translating  it,  but  transcribing 
it  by  hand,  for  they  had  no  printing-presses.  The 
messengers  had  to  publish  the  decree  to  every  indi- 
vidual in  all  the  provinces.  How  long  did  it  take  to 
accomplish  this  work?  Upon  the  thirteenth  day  of 
the  twelfth  month  the  commandment  had  been  pub- 
lished to  all  the  people,  and  the  Jews  were  ready  on 
that  day  to  fight  for  their  lives.  In  other  words,  it 
took  ten  days  less  than  nine  months  to  do  it.  And 
we  have  taken  nineteen  hundred  years  nearly  to 
carry  the  gospel  to  one  quarter  of  the  human  race, 
when  we  have  the  command  of  the  King  of  kings  to 
do  the  King's  business  in  haste.  Now  that  is  a 
burning  shame  to  Christendom,  and  we  shall  not 
honor  the  Lord  if  we  do  not  get  stirred  up  on  this 
subject  to  do  our  duty  in  the  evangelization  of  the 
world.  Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

97 


DAY 
XXX 


Word  and  work— the  two  W's.  You  will  soon  get 
spiritually  gorged  if  it  is  all  Word  and  no  work,  and 
you  will  soon  be  without  power  if  it  is  all  work  and 
no  Word.  If  you  want  to  be  healthy  Christians 
there  must  be  both  Word  and  work. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

It  is  by  steadfast  drilling  into  the  bed-rock  of  the 
Word  that  we  are  able  to  bring  up  the  drafts  which 
we  can  pass  to  others. 

A.  F.  SCHAUFFLER. 

If  we  are  going  to  have  the  true  secret  of  Chris- 
tian leadership  we  must  study  that  leader  of  Chris- 
tian leaders,  Jesus  Christ.  There  we  find  the  secret 
that  he  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto;  he  went 
about  as  one  that  served;  he  taught  that  he  who 
would  be  greatest  must  be  the  servant  of  all:  that 
is  the  secret  of  enduring  leadership  in  things  spirit- 
ual. John  R.  Mott. 

A  telegraph-wire  must  be  completely  insulated 
before  it  can  convey  the  electric  communication. 
So  we  must  be  separated  from  the  world  before  God's 
message  to  sinners  can  have  free  course  through  us. 
When  Saladin  looked  at  the  sword  of  Richard  Coeur 
de  Lion,  he  wondered  that  a  blade  so  ordinary  should 
have  wrought  such  mighty  deeds.  The  English  king 
bared  his  arm  and  said,  "  It  was  not  the  sword  that 
did  these  things;  it  was  the  arm  of  Richard."  We 
should  be  instruments  that  the  Lord  can  use,  and 
when  he  has  used  us  the  glory  should  all  be  his. 

George  F.  Pentecost. 

98 


DAY 
XXXI 


We  are  the  members  of  the  "body  of  Christ";  he 
is  the  head.  Be  careful,  then,  for  the  head  suffers 
with  the  body.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman. 

Nothing  is  more  dishonoring  to  Jesus  Christ  than 
a  church  that  is  apostate  and  worldly  and  unconse- 
crated.  A  man  died  some  years  ago,  a  very  eminent 
literary  man,  who  had  a  magnificent  head,  lofty 
browed  and  intellectual;  but  by  a  sad  misfortune  he 
had  that  head  upon  a  crippled  body.  He  was  a  dwarf, 
a  hunchback,  and  you  could  not  look  upon  him  with- 
out pity.  ''  What  a  splendid  head,"  you  would  say, 
"but  alas,  that  it  rests  upon  such  an  unsightly 
form!"  Shall  Jesus  Christ  be  so  dishonored  that 
he  shall  have  a  body  unsanctified  and  misshapen, 
concerning  which  the  angels  might  exclaim,  "Alas! 
what  a  noble  head,  but  what  an  ignoble  body!" 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

The  church  is  compared  to  the  body  of  which 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  head;  therefore,  endeavor  to 
keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace. 
Men  make  a  great  mistake  in  trying  by  their  evan- 
gelical alliances  and  their  compacts  to  make  a  unity; 
it  would  be  a  great  deal  better  if  they  would  do 
their  best  to  keep  the  unity  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
has  made.  We  are  members  of  one  another  because 
we  are  members  of  the  same  head. 

The  hand  may  say  the  foot  is  not  in  the  body,  but 
it  cannot  help  its  being  in  the  body,  and  after  I  have 
got  to  heaven  my  High-church  friend  will  see  that 
I  have  been  in  the  body  all  the  time,  and  he  will  be 
sorry  he  didn't  recognize  me  before. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

99 


My  Jesus,  I  love  thee;  I  know  thou  art  mine; 
For  thee  all  the  follies  of  sin  I  resign; 
My  gracious  Redeemer,  my  Saviour  art  thou; 
If  ever  I  loved  thee,  my  Jesus,  'tis  now. 

I  love  thee  because  thou  hast  first  loved  me. 
And  purchased  my  pardon  on  Calvary's  tree; 
I  love  thee  for  wearing  the  thorns  on  thy  brow; 
If  ever  I  loved  thee,  my  Jesus,  'tis  now. 

I  will  love  thee  in  life,  I  will  love  thee  in  death, 
And  praise  thee  as  long  as  thou  lendest  me  breath; 
And  say  when  the  death-dew  lies  cold  on  my  brow, 
If  ever  I  loved  thee,  my  Jesus,  'tis  now. 

In  mansions  of  glory  and  endless  delight, 
I'll  ever  adore  thee  in  heaven  so  bright; 
I'll  sing  with  the  glittering  crown  on  my  brow, 
If  ever  I  loved  thee,  my  Jesus,  'tis  now. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 


100 


D\4onth  of  <tApril 

Easter  Lilies 
tA.  J.  Gordon  Gordon  Laki 


i 


A  stanza  from  an  old  hymn  says  that  Jesus  Christ 
"  burst  the  bars  "  of  the  grave  and  ''  tore  its  bands 
away."  If  a  man  bursts  the  bars  of  State's  prison 
all  the  police  force  of  the  commonwealth  is  after  him 
to  bring  him  back.  If,  on  the  contrary,  he  has 
served  out  his  full  time,  all  the  power  in  the  State 
cannot  retain  him  a  single  hour  longer.  Jesus 
Christ  must  remain  in  the  grave  three  days  "  accord- 
ing to  Scripture,"  but  after  the  three  days  had  ex- 
pired there  was  not  power  enough  in  heaven  or  in 
hell  to  retain  him  another  moment. 

Bunyan  ^\Tites  graphically  about  "the  terrible 
Captain  Sepulcher  and  his  standard-bearer.  Corrup- 
tion." I  think  I  hear  those  two  talking  over  the 
situation  on  the  night  that  Jesus  Christ  was  buried. 
Corruption  says  to  Sepulcher:  ''Hold  fast  to  that 
man  in  Joseph's  tomb  yonder!  There  is  a  rumor 
that  he  proposes  to  break  forth  from  the  grave.  Do 
not  let  him  go  till  I  can  fasten  upon  him."  But 
Corruption  fails  to  touch  him,  because  it  had  been 
written,  "  Thou  wilt  not  suffer  thy  Holy  One  to  see 
corruption,"  Then  hell  from  beneath  cries  out, 
"Hold  fast  to  this  man!  If  he  comes  out  he  will 
make  a  breach  in  the  walls  of  death  through  which 
all  the  prisoners  of  Hades  will  escape."  And  "he 
that  hath  the  power  of  death,  even  the  devil,"  ex- 
claims in  fright,  "  If  thou  let  this  man  go,  thou  art 
not  Satan's  friend!"  But  vain  the  seal,  and  vain 
the  watch,  and  vain  the  grip  of  death,  and  vain  the 
doors  of  the  tomb.  As  it  began  to  dawn  the  first 
day  of  the  week  there  began  to  be  a  mighty  stir  in 
the  sepulcher;  terrible  Captain  Sepulcher  tightens 
his  grip,  but  in  vain.  "  It  was  not  possible  that  he 
should  be  holden  of  death."  A.  J.  Gordon. 

101 


DAY 

n 


If  Christ  be  not  raised,  your  faith  is  vain;  ye  are  yet  in  your 
sins.— 1  Cor.  xv.  17. 

The  belief  in  the  incarnation  stands  or  falls  with 
the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ. 
You  may  just  as  well  shut  up  the  Bible,  recall  the 
missionaries,  pull  down  the  churches,  and  let  us  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry,  for  to-morrow  we  die  and  don't 
know  what  is  coming  next,  if  it  be  not  true  that 
Jesus  Christ  rose  from  the  dead. 

If  a  man  should  tell  me  now  that  a  man  who  had 
been  buried  two  days  ago  had  been  seen  to-day  I 
should  not  believe  it.  On  an  ordinary  question  I 
will  believe  the  testimony  of  men;  but  if  I  should  be 
told  that  an  ordinary  man  who  had  been  in  his  grave 
two  days  had  come  out,  I  should  say  the  presump- 
tion against  it  was  enormous;  But  Jesus  Christ  was 
not  an  ordinary  man.  We  take  the  specific  evidence 
after  the  resurrection  of  Christ  as  an  argument  for 
that  resurrection ;  but  the  Old  Testament  also  creates 
a  presumption  in  behalf  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  advance.  The  ordinary  man  dying  and 
going  into  his  grave,  it  is  presumable  that  he  will 
not  rise  from  the  dead.  Jesus  Christ  stands  so 
manifestly  at  the  climax  of  Jewish  history,  and  is 
so  organically  related  to  it,  that  when  he  came  into 
the  world  he  came  as  an  exceptional  man,  and  when 
he  died  there  was  an  antecedent  presumption  of  his 
resurrection  as  was  the  case  with  no  other  man. 
So  that  you  can  say,  as  it  is  said  in  the  Acts,  "It 
was  not  possible  that  he  should  be  holden  of  death." 

Francis  L.  Patton. 


102 


DAY 

m 


I  beseech  thee  for  my  son  Onesimus,  whom  I  have  begotten  in 
my  bonds.  ...  If  he  hath  wronged  thee,  or  oweth  thee  aught, 
put  that  on  mine  account.— Phil.  10,  18. 

We  may  draw  most  helpful  lessons  from  the  study 
of  Paul's  letter  to  Philemon,  as  illustrating  in  the 
characters  of  Philemon  and  Onesimus  and  Paul,  mas- 
ter, slave,  and  friend,  the  relation  of  the  sinner  to 
God  and  Christ. 

The  sinner  is  the  property  of  God.  He  has  fled 
from  God,  and  is  now  under  the  curse  of  alienation 
and  separation.  Not  only  so,  but  he  has  wTonged 
God,  and  has  robbed  him  besides.  The  law  of  God 
provides  no  right  of  asylum  for  the  sinner.  He  is 
the  absolute  property  of  God— both  a  bond-slave 
and  a  criminal.  This  ownership  is  not  made  void  by 
the  sinner's  flight.  He  may  break  the  relationship 
he  sustains  to  God,  but  he  cannot  break  the  obliga- 
tion. There  is  but  one  thing  conceded  to  him;  that 
is  the  right  of  appeal.  He  may  run  to  Christ,  who 
is  the  partner  of  God,  and  through  his  intercession 
seek  mercy.  Jesus  receives  him.  He  comforts  him. 
Not  only  so,  but  he  manumits  him  by  adoption— be- 
gets him  in  bonds  as  his  own  son.  And  then  he 
sends  him  back  to  the  Father  to  be  received  as  him- 
self, and  he  says,  "If  he  hath  wronged  thee,  or 
oweth  thee  aught,  put  that  on  my  account;"  and 
with  his  own  signature,  written  in  blood,  he  says, 
"  I  will  repay."  The  reception  of  the  sinner  is  ex- 
ceedingly abundant— more  than  he  can  ask  or  think. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 


103 


DAY 
IV 

For  if  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats,  and  the  ashes  of  a 
heifer  sprinkling  the  unclean,  sanctifieth  to  the  purifying  of  the 
flesh;  how  much  more  shall  the  blood  of  Christ,  who  through  the 
eternal  Spirit  offered  himself  without  spot  to  God,  purge  your 
conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the  living  God  ? — Heb.  ix. 
13,  14. 

That  is  the  great  central  thought  of  the  atone- 
ment: the  sacrifice  of  Christ's  own  blood,  not  the 
blood  of  bulls  and  goats,  shall  "purge  your  con- 
science from  dead  works  to  serve  the  living  God." 

John  A.  Broadus. 

There  are  two  things  which  we  must  uphold  and 
hold  fast— the  sacrifice  of  Christ  upon  the  cross, 
and  the  priesthood  of  Christ  in  heaven. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

The  great  strength  in  us  and  the  great  stumbling- 
block  by  which  the  devil  himself  will  be  overthrown 
is  the  blood.  By  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  we  are  saved, 
we  are  strengthened;  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  we 
are  misunderstood,  we  are  scoffed  at. 

John  McNeill. 

The  last  that  the  world  ever  saw  of  Christ,  he 
was  hanging  on  the  cross.  The  last  business  of  his 
life  was  the  saving  of  a  poor  penitent  thief.  That 
was  a  part  of  his  triumph;  that  was  one  of  the 
glories  attending  his  death.  No  doubt  Satan  said 
to  himself,  "  I  will  have  the  soul  of  that  thief  pretty 
soon  down  here  in  the  caverns  of  the  lost."  But 
Christ  snapped  the  fetters  of  this  soul  and  set  him 
at  liberty.  Satan  lost  his  prey.  "  The  Lion  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah  "  conquered  the  lion  of  hell. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

104 


DAY 
V 


I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches.— John  xv.  5. 


We  know  how  close  is  the  union  between  the  vine 
and  its  branches.  The  same  life  that  nourishes  the 
root  nourishes  the  most  distant  spray  on  the  most 
distant  point  of  the  most  distant  branch.  When 
our  dear  Lord  was  here  he  was  the  vine— he  bore 
all  the  fruit  himself.  But  now  that  he  is  trans- 
planted into  heaven  and  on  the  throne,  he  bears  all 
his  fruit  in  his  branches.  But  all  the  life  in  all  the 
leaves  and  all  the  blossoms  and  all  the  fruit  borne 
here  comes  down  from  him  as  the  root.  It  is  the 
natural  order  reversed.  How  shall  I  call  it?  The 
root  above,  and  the  branches  below.  That  is  what 
we  ought  to  be— branches  in  Jesus,  growing  out  of 
his  fullness,  spreading  his  name  and  his  fragrance 
over  this  whole  world.  Till  we  are  in  Christ  we 
cannot  serve  Christ.  Vital  Christianity  in  the  doc- 
trine is  union  with  the  Son  of  God.  Till  we  have 
union  with  him  we  have  no  power.  Corrupt  trees 
cannot  bring  forth  good  fruit,  and  we  are  corrupt 
to  the  core.  Christianity  in  the  practical  is  just  the 
manifestation  of  union  with  the  Son  of  God  in  our 
walk  and  conduct  in  the  church  and  in  the  world. 

Marcus  Rainsford. 

Adam  had  rest  and  fellowship  with  God,  but  Adam 
fell  because  he  was  not  so  perfectly  linked  to  God 
as  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  Satan  injuring  him. 
But  we  are  so  linked  unto  God  in  Christ  Jesus  that 
it  will  be  impossible  for  us  to  fall  from  that  position. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 


105 


DAY 
VI 

There  was  a  famous  sculptor  in  Paris,  who  exe- 
cuted a  great  work  which  stands  to-day  in  the  Ga- 
lerie  des  Beaux  Arts.  He  was  a  great  genius,  and 
this  was  his  last  work;  but,  like  many  a  great  genius, 
he  was  very  poor  and  lived  in  a  small  garret.  This 
garret  was  his  workshop,  his  studio,  and  his  bed- 
room. He  had  this  statue  almost  finished  in  clay 
when,  one  night,  a  frost  suddenly  fell  over  Paris. 
The  sculptor  lay  on  his  bed,  with  the  statue  before 
him  in  the  center  of  the  fireless  room.  As  the  chill 
air  came  down  upon  him  he  saw  that  if  the  cold  got 
more  intense  the  water  in  the  interstices  of  the  clay 
would  freeze.  So  the  old  man  arose  and  heaped  the 
bedclothes  reverently  upon  the  statue.  In  the  morn- 
ing, when  his  friends  came  in,  they  found  the  old 
sculptor  dead;  but  the  image  was  saved! 

Preserve  at  any  cost  the  image  into  which  you 
are  being  changed  by  the  unseen  Sculptor,  who  is 
every  moment  that  you  are  in  his  presence  working 
at  that  holy  task.  The  Spirit  of  God  is  busy  now  re- 
creating men,  within  these  commonplace  lives  of  ours, 
in  the  image  of  God.  Henry  Drummond. 

Christ  said,  "  Peter,  deny  yourself."  Instead  of 
doing  that  Peter  denied  his  Lord.  Just  think  of  it! 
It  was  a  choice  between  that  ugly,  cursed  self  and 
that  beautiful,  blessed  Son  of  God;  and  Peter  chose 
self.     No  wonder  that  he  wept  bitter  tears. 

Christians,  look  at  your  own  lives  in  the  light  of 
the  words  of  Jesus.  Is  there  self-will,  self -pleasing? 
Remember  this:  every  time  you  please  yourself  you 
deny  Jesus.  It  is  one  of  the  two.  I  must  please  him 
and  deny  self,  or  please  myself  and  deny  him. 

Andrew  Murray. 

106 


DAY 

vn 


In  many  a  man's  life  in  that  harbor  out  of  which 
he  sails  his  little  boat  two  vessels  arise.  One  ves- 
sel has  the  sound  of  laughter,  rich  and  full,  upon 
it;  the  sound  of  music  and  dancing  upon  it;  gaudy- 
colors  float  from  its  mastheads:  it  is  the  ship  of  the 
"World  and  its  Lusts."  Another  ship  lies  in  the 
offing,  a  good,  stanch  boat,  free  from  things  that 
are  for  the  pleasures  of  the  flesh,  but  filled  with  a 
royal  crew,  captained  by  One  who  never  failed  to 
lead  his  vessel  safely  through  to  the  desired  haven. 
Upon  one  of  those  two  boats  you  and  I  must  embark. 
Most  of  us  have  already  put  off  our  little  boats  on 
the  sea  with  the  Brittany  fisherman's  prayer,  "  Keep 
me,  0  God;  the  sea  is  so  large,  and  my  boat  is  so 
small."  But  perhaps  some  are  still  halting  between 
the  choice  of  the  world  and  the  good  will  of  our 
God.  The  two  boats  put  out  to  sea;  the  sky  is  blue, 
the  Father's  face  is  sweet  and  tender,  and  the  sea  is 
sweet  and  peaceful ;  and  the  two  vessels  sail  quickly 
over  the  waters.  By  and  by  the  wind  comes,  and 
that  rocky  cape  which  every  vessel  must  round  before 
she  reaches  her  haven  looms  up  in  the  gathering 
darkness.  There,  while  the  clouds  surge  heavy 
overhead,  and  the  night-birds  sweep,  and  the  waters 
pitch  and  toss  tempestuously  beneath,  the  "World 
and  its  Lusts  "  has  passed  away,  but  the  good  ship 
of  the  "  Will  of  God  "  rides  on.  The  storms  go  down 
and  the  clear  sun  shines  out  lovingly  after  the  rain, 
and  by  and  by  the  light  breaks  upon  the  hills  of  the 
better  country,  and  the  "  Good  Will  of  God  "  casts 
anchor  in  the  haven  of  my  Father's  land  at  the  very 
threshold  of  my  Father's  house. 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

107 


DAY 

vm 

Upon  the  coast  of  France,  the  sailors  say,  there 
is  a  buried  city;  and  on  quiet  nights,  as  they  are 
rocked  upon  the  deep,  they  think  that  they  can  hear 
the  tones  of  the  buried  bells  coming  up  from  the 
steeples  far  down  in  the  ocean  depths  with  muffled 
sound.  So  in  the  hearts  of  men  of  the  world  who 
have  lived  lives  of  self-indulgence  and  evil  there  are 
muffled  tones  from  the  depths  of  their  nature,  ring- 
ing in  the  steeples  of  conscience,  that  tell  them  to 
choose  what  is  right  and  to  shun  what  is  wrong. 

Conscience  is  not  simply  the  knowledge  of  right 
and  wrong;  it  is  the  judgment-seat  of  God  in  minia- 
ture. Every  Christian  carries  the  judgment-seat 
inside  of  him,  and  day  after  day  he  stands  before 
it;  and  the  Son  of  man,  to  whom  all  judgment  is 
committed,  sits  upon  the  throne  of  this  inner  court, 
and  not  only  tells  us  that  this  or  the  other  is  right 
or  wrong,  but  he  goes  further  and  he  pronounces 
sentence  with  a  kiss  of  infinite  delight  or  with  a  look 
of  infinite  sorrow.  He  says  to  each  of  us,  "  Come, 
thou  blessed  soul,  loved  of  my  Father  and  me;  come 
into  the  joy  that  I  have  prepared  for  you; "  or,  "  De- 
part into  the  darkness  of  unfellowship  and  broken 
communion,  0  thou  who  hast  disobeyed  the  dictates 
of  the  inner  voice!"  We  cannot  doubt  that  there 
is  a  judgment  to  come  when  we  carry  a  judgment 
in  miniature  within  us.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

The  more  you  know  of  God's  Word,  the  more  you 
can  know  God's  Word;  and  the  more  you  are  living 
by  God's  Word  the  better  you  can  understand  God's 
Word.  But  if  you  keep  it  at  arm's-length,  and 
dally  with  it,  and  play  around  it,  then  years  may 
pass  without  your  having  progressed  one  whit. 

John  A.  Broadus. 

108 


DAY 
DC 


There  is,  I  grant,  a  place  for  the  reason  in  con- 
sidering this  question  about  the  information  given 
to  us  about  salvation;  there  is  also  a  place  for  the 
church  as  the  great  agency  in  transmitting  this  in- 
formation; but  the  greatest  place,  the  most  conspic- 
uous place,  the  supreme  place,  belongs  to  the  Bible, 
and  it  will  not  do  to  say  that  the  reason,  the  church, 
and  the  Bible  are  coordinate,  because  they  do  not 
stand  in  any  such  relation  to  one  another.  It  is  very 
absurd  to  put  the  reason  and  the  church  in  such  re- 
lation to  the  Bible  as  to  imply  that  either  could  be 
a  substitute  for  the  Bible. 

Suppose  that  a  man  gets  a  telegram  to-day  from 
his  friend  in  China,  sad  or  happy  as  the  case  may  be, 
and  he  says,  "  I  don't  need  any  message.  I  have  my 
o\^Ti  reason,  and  I  can  excogitate  out  of  my  o"«ti  con- 
sciousness all  that  I  need  know  of  my  friend  in  China." 
"  Oh  no,"  you  reply; ''  your  reason  is  the  condition  of 
your  being  able  to  read  this  message,  but  it  is  no  sub- 
-stitute  for  the  information,  and  will  not  give  you  the 
information  which  the  message  contains."  But  he  re- 
plies, "  I  don't  need  any  message;  I  have  an  unbroken 
continuity  of  telegraph-\\Tre  from  here  to  the  anti- 
podes." "Xo,"  you  reply;  ''the  telegi'aph-boy  is 
useful  and  the  telegraph-wire  is  an  important  thing 
as  making  the  connection  between  you  and  the  mes- 
sage, but  what  you  needed  was  the  message.^' 

Your  reason  is  the  condition  of  your  being  able 
to  read  the  message  which  your  heavenly  Father  has 
sent  you;  and  the  church  has  performed  a  most  im- 
portant function  in  transmitting  the  message;  and 
the  Bible,  my  friends,  is  the  message. 

Franxis  L.  Patton. 

109 


DAY 
X 


Look  at  that  man,  Paul.  Men  called  him  a  madman. 
I  wish  we  had  a  lot  of  that  kind  of  madness  now. 
Some  one  has  said,  "  If  he  was  mad,  he  had  a  good 
keeper  on  the  way,  and  a  fine  asylum  at  the  end  of 
the  route."  He  could  afford  to  be  mad;  he  was  a 
man  that  turned  the  world  upside  down— it  was 
wrong  side  up  before.  There  was  a  man  who  conse- 
crated his  life  to  God.  He  had  one  motto:  "This 
one  thing  I  do."  He  hadn't  forty  aims;  if  he  had, 
you  would  never  have  heard  of  him.  He  threw  his 
whole  life  into  one  channel.  "  This  one  thing  I  do, 
forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind,  and  reach- 
ing forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before,  I  press 
toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of 
God  in  Christ  Jesus." 

The  world  looked  down  upon  him,  but  the  world 
wasn't  worthy  of  him.  He  is  well  known  in  heaven. 
If  you  had  asked  the  rich  men  in  Corinth  what  kind 
of  a  man  Paul  was,  they  would  have  said,  *'  Huh!  he 
is  a  fanatic— gone  clean  mad.  He's  honest  enough, 
but  he  is  a  madman."  He  has  been  gone  eighteen 
hundred  years,  and  now  his  epistles  are  going  to  the 
very  corners  of  the  earth.  Let  us  get  right  on 
Paul's  platform,  and  have  one  aim:  "One  thing  I 
do."  Let  the  kingdom  be  first  in  everything,  and 
everything  else  will  be  added.  We  needn't  be 
bothering  our  heads  and  troubling  our  minds  about 
what  our  future  is  going  to  be.  If  we  are  wholly 
given  up  to  God,  he  will  lead  us.  Paul  never  marked 
out  the  path  he  was  going  to  tread.  Hold  your  reins 
loosely,  and  God  will  guide  you, 

D.  L.  Moody,    f 

110 


DAY 
XI 


The  light  of  Christ  strikes  down  on  our  hearts 
and  lives,  and,  as  in  Switzerland  the  sun  at  dawn 
only  strikes  the  loftiest  mountains  and  leaves  the 
valleys  as  yet  unreached,  so,  when  Christ  first  begins 
to  deal  with  a  soul,  he  does  not  show  the  soul  the 
whole  of  its  depravity,  but  he  deals  with  one  or  two 
or  three  outstanding  sins.  Directly  the  soul  sees 
that,  it  says,  "  I  will  give  that  up  to  God,"  and  it 
shoots  up  on  to  another  level,  and  for  some  happy 
weeks  or  months  lives  upon  a  higher  level  of  Chris- 
tian enjoyment  than  ever  before.  Then  there  comes 
another  moment.  It  may  be  a  month  or  a  year 
after,  and  the  great  light  of  God's  revelation  within 
reveals  something  else  which  has  never  been  noticed 
or  suspected,  which  the  soul  has  done  comparatively 
innocently;  but  instantly  that  sin  stands  out  before 
God  as  the  one  thing  to  be  dealt  with.  The  soul 
shudders  for  a  moment  and  then  says,  "  I  treat  that 
as  I  treated  the  former  one;  I  yield  it,"  and  it  shoots 
right  up  again  and  goes  on  to  a  higher  level  than 
ever.  The  process  is  repeated  upon  that  higher 
platform.  So  life  is  one  great  stairway  upon  our 
dead  selves  as  stepping-stones  to  higher  things. 
My  growth  is  simply  because  God  Almighty  is  con- 
stantly revealing  things  deeper  and  deeper.  As  a 
line  is  made  up  of  a  number  of  dots,  so  Christian 
life  is  made  up  of  a  number  of  surrenders  to  God, 
but  you  do  not  think  them  to  be  surrenders  because 
your  heart  is  so  taken  up  with  what  he  is  giving 
that  you  drop  the  thing  that  holds  you  to  take  the 
better  thing  he  gives.  God  wants  to  deal  with  you 
as  his  child. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

Ill 


DAY 

xn 


Take  heed  therefore,  that  the  light  which  is  in  thee  be  not 
darkness.— Luke  xi.  35. 

Beware  of  moral  color-blindness!  A  man's  think- 
ing that  he  sees  the  truth  aright  does  not  shield  him 
from  the  consequences  of  his  error.  Conscientious 
wrong-doing  is  never  safe  doing.  In  moral  color- 
blindness there  is  moral  peril,  and  you  may  be  morally 
color-blind  without  knowing  it.  The  Mosaic  law  de- 
clared, "  If  any  one  sin,  .  .  .  though  he  knew  it  not, 
yet  is  he  guilty,  and  shall  bear  his  iniquity."  The  lips 
of  the  loving  Jesus  said  also  of  the  sinning  servant, 
"  He  that  knew  not,  and  did  commit  things  worthy 
of  stripes,  shall  be  beaten,"  although  with  fewer 
stripes  than  the  conscious  transgressor. 

If  a  color-blind  engineer  mistakes  a  red  signal  for 
a  white  one  at  an  open  drawbridge,  the  resulting 
calamity  is  as  terrible  to  himself  and  the  train-load 
of  passengers  as  if  he  had  deliberately  defied  a  token 
of  danger  which  he  read  correctly. 

One's  danger  of  misreading  the  signals  along  his 
personal  life-course  is  no  less  in  the  moral  world 
than  in  the  physical.  Man's  conscience,  like  a  ship's 
compass,  should  be  corrected  according  to  a  divine 
standard.  It  must  be  set  right  by  comparison  with 
the  true  standard  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  rated 
frequently  by  the  Bible  record,  and  guarded  watch- 
fully, lest  by  careless  usage  its  accuracy  be  lost  and 
the  soul  in  mid-ocean  be  without  a  guide.  Unless 
you  know  how  much  your  conscience  chronometer 
slows  or  quickens  in  the  various  latitudes  where  you 
sail,  you  will  never  be  able  to  learn  your  bearings 
accurately  or  to  lay  your  course  correctly. 

Henry  Clay  Trumbull. 

112 


DAY 
Xffl 

Come  out  from  among  them,  and  be  ye  separate,  saith  the 
Lord.— 2  Cor.  vi.  17. 

That  command  means  not  only  come  out,  but  it 
means  also  stay  out.  Some  come  out  and  then 
go  back.  Some  come  out  and  straddle  the  line. 
Christ  draws  sharp  lines.  "  He  that  is  not  with  me 
is  against  me."  Some  church-members  have  their 
roots  on  one  side  of  the  church  w^all  and  their  boughs 
all  hang  over  and  drop  the  fruit  on  the  world's  side. 
It  is  not  only  a  question  of  where  your  roots  are,  but 
w^here  the  boughs  hang  and  the  apples  fall.  We  want 
more  in  these  days  of  clear,  distinct,  emphatic, 
Christly  religion,  so  that  we  do  not  need  to  look  into 
the  church-roll  to  find  out  whether  a  man  is  a  Chris- 
tian or  not.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

Probably  the  most  of  the  difficulties  of  trying  to 
live  the  Christian  life  arise  from  attempting  to  half 
live  it.  Henry  Drummond. 

We  can  and  do  make  it  hard  for  Christ  to  confess 
us.  For  as  the  devil  of  old  came  into  the  presence 
of  God  accusing  Job,  so  now  the  devil  in  a  sense 
enters  the  courts  of  heaven  accusing  us  before  the 
Father.  Here  is  some  poor  trembling,  faltering 
sinner  who  walks  unworthy  of  the  vocation  where- 
unto  he  is  called.  The  devil  comes  before  God,  and 
says,  "Ah,  yes;  that  is  one  of  yours,  who  promised 
to  serve  you  and  be  faithful,  and  yet  see  how  he  is 
living."  Christ's  reply  is,  "  Well,  he  has  confessed 
me  before  men,  and  I  promised  to  confess  him  be- 
fore my  Father.  Yes;  he  is  one  of  mine,  and  I  am 
hoping  that  this  and  that  will  remove  every  trace 
of  evil."  It  is  a  hard  thing  for  Christ  to  confess  us 
in  the  face  of  our  many  inconsistencies,  but  he  is 
faithful  to  his  promise.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

113 


DAY 
XIV 

Suppose  that  you  see  a  mother  with  a  beautiful 
little  babe,  six  months  old,  rosy  and  chubby.  It 
cannot  speak,  it  cannot  walk;  but  we  are  not  troubled 
about  that,  for  it  is  natural.  Suppose,  however, 
that  a  year  later  you  find  the  child  not  grown  at  all, 
and  three  years  later  still  the  same;  you  would  at 
once  say,  "There  must  be  some  terrible  disease;" 
that  baby,  that  at  six  months  old  was  a  joy  to  every 
one,  has  become  to  the  mother  and  to  all  her  friends 
a  source  of  anxiety  and  of  sorrow.  It  was  quite 
right,  at  six  months  old,  that  it  should  eat  nothing 
but  milk;  but  years  have  passed  by,  and  it  remains 
in  the  same  weakly  state. 

Now  this  is  just  the  condition  of  many  believers. 
They  are  converted,  they  know  what  it  is  to  have 
assurance  and  faith;  they  believe  in  pardon  for  sin, 
they  begin  to  work  for  God,  and  yet,  somehow,  there 
is  very  little  growth  in  spirituality,  in  the  real  hea- 
venly life.  You  come  into  contact  with  them,  and 
you  feel  at  once  there  is  something  wanting;  there 
is  none  of  the  beauty  of  holiness  or  of  the  power  of 
God's  Spirit  in  them.  Is  it  not  sad  to  see  a  believer 
who  has  been  converted  five,  ten,  twenty  years,  and 
who  has  yet  no  growth  and  no  strength  and  no  joy 
of  holiness!  Andrew  Murray. 

There  are  a  great  many  church-members  who  are 
just  hobbling  about  on  crutches.  They  can  just 
make  out  that  they  are  saved,  and  imagine  that  is 
all  that  constitutes  a  Christian  in  this  nineteenth 
century.  As  far  as  helping  others  is  concerned, 
that  never  enters  their  heads.  They  think  if  they 
can  get  along  themselves  they  are  doing  amazingly 
well.  They  have  no  idea  what  the  Holy  Ghost  wants 
to  do  through  them.  D.  L.  Moody, 

114 


DAY 
XV 


As  long  as  the  soldier  slinks  outside  the  battle  he 
carries  a  whole  skin;  but  let  him  plunge  in  and  fol- 
low the  captain,  and  he  will  soon  have  the  bullets 
flying  about  him.  Some  of  you  have  had  a  good 
time  because  there  was  no  use  in  the  devil  wasting 
powder  and  shot  upon  you;  you  haven't  been  doing 
him  any  harm;  but  directly  you  begin  to  wake  up 
and  set  to  work  for  God,  the  devil  will  set  a  thou- 
sand evils  to  worrying  you,  or  he  may  come  himself 
to  see  to  you.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

If  Satan  was  dangerous  when  Paul  wrote  his  epis- 
tles, how  much  more  dangerous  must  he  be  now,  for 
he  has  so  much  more  experience! 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

*^  Stand  fast  therefore  in  all  the  armor  of  GodJ^  We 
are  in  the  heavenlies  to  fight  the  devil  and  all  the 
principalities  and  powers  who  are  trying  to  draw 
us  out  from  our  fortress  where  God  has  placed  us. 
There  can  be  no  peace  between  us  and  the  devil; 
we  must  fight  him  to  the  very  end,  because  he  is 
always  assailing  our  souls  and  trying  to  draw  us  out 
of  our  high  place  in  Christ  Jesus.  From  the  pit  of 
darkness  to  the  throne  of  God  Christ  Jesus  raises 
us,  and,  putting  us  above  all  principalities  and 
powers,  says,  "  Having  done  all,  stand."  But  mind 
that  you  take  the  whole  armor  of  God;  don't  omjt 
one  piece.  The  devil  is  crafty;  let  him  see  one  spot 
without  its  covering,  and  he  will  hurl  a  fiery  dart 
that  will  make  you  groan  with  pain,  and  would 
wound  you  unto  death,  perhaps,  were  it  not  for  the 
oil  and  wine  which  the  good  Samaritan  deigns  to 
pour  in.  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

115 


DAY 
XVI 


The  pleasure  of  sin  may  seem  very  great  to  you 
when  you  are  young,  but  what  will  be  the  end? 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

The  biggest  lie  ever  uttered  in  hell  is  that  the 
devil  is  an  easy  master  and  God  a  hard  one.  I  would 
like  to  drive  that  lie  back  into  perdition;  and  I  testify 
now  that  my  God  is  not  a  hard  master  and  the  devil 
an  easy  one.  I  take  up  that  old  Book,  and  read, 
"The  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard;"  and  looking 
around  me,  I  see  that  it  is  hard.  Go  down  to  yon 
prison,  and  ask  the  prisoner  if  it  is  not  hard.  Go 
with  me  to  the  gambler,  the  drunkard,  the  forger, 
who  has  lost  everything,  and  ask  if  the  way  of  the 
transgressor  is  not  hard.  D.  L.  Moody. 

When  a  man  begins  to  argue  with  his  conscience, 
he  is  sure  to  be  in  the  wrong.  Are  you  trying  to 
justify  yourself  in  an  act?  You  may  be  sure  that 
that  act,  in  your  deepest  consciousness,  is  not  what 
it  should  be.  May  I  go  deeper  down?  Is  it  not  a 
fact  that  with  some  of  us  there  are  sins  which  we 
permit,  but  which  we  condemn?  We  excuse  our- 
selves by  saying  that  they  are  hereditary,  and  that 
we  cannot  help  them.  We  say,  "  We  have  a  strong 
nature;  we  are  swept  by  the  winds  of  passion;  some 
men  were  born  good,  but  we  were  born  with  a  crook 
in  us."  These  excuses  will  not  be  accepted  by  God ; 
his  grace  is  sufficient;  Christ  can  take  a  Simon  and 
make  a  Peter  of  him.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

There  are  many  sins  which  must  either  be  dealt 
with  suddenly  or  not  at  all. 

Henry  Drummond. 

116 


DAY 

xvn 


There  is  an  awful  responsibility  in  the  gospel. 
It  damns  a  man  if  he  will  not  accept  it.  God 
makes  provision  for  a  free  pardon,  but  what  if  you 
decline  to  take  it?  Here  it  is;  God  holds  it  out  to 
you— take  it;  if  you  do  not  there  are  a^vful  conse- 
quences, and  the  fault  is  yours,  not  God's.  If  you 
turn  your  back  on  God  you  set  your  face  toward  the 
devil.  If  the  gospel  needed  to  be  preached  to  Cor- 
nelius, then  a  man's  own  righteousness  will  not  save 
him;  Cornelius  must  close  with  God's  bargain;  he 
must  take  God's  gift;  that  was  all  he  had  to  do,  and 
all  was  right.  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

A  sinner,  telling  of  his  conversion,  may  at  one 
time  say,  "  If  it  had  not  been  for  that  sermon,  I 
would  have  been  a  sinner  still."  Another  time,  "  If 
it  had  not  been  for  that  person."  Another  time, 
"  If  I  had  not  turned."  But  when  he  looks  solemnly 
into  the  whole  case,  he  says,  "  Unless  He  who  is 
exalted  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour  had  called  me,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  had  brought  home  the  Word,  I 
should  have  been  a  lost  sinner  still."  Let  us  cease 
giving  credit  to  ourselves  and  depending  on  our- 
selves. Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

No  man  can  believe  on  Jesus  without  repentance 
toward  God;  but  mark  this:  you  never  find  repen- 
tance toward  Jesus  spoken  of  in  the  Bible.  Faith  in 
Jesus  Christ  produces  repentance  toward  God;  for 
we  do  not  know  God  till  we  come  to  Jesus. 

Marcus  Rainsford. 


117 


DAY 

xvm 

Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is  forgiven,  whose  sin  is 
covered.— Ps.  xxxii.  1. 

There  are  two  ways  of  covering  sin,  man's  way  and 
God's  way.  You  cover  your  sins  and  they  will  have 
a  resurrection  sometime;  let  God  cover  them,  and 
neither  devil  nor  man  can  find  them.  There  are  four 
expressions  in  the  Bible  with  regard  to  where  God 
puts  sins.  He  puts  them  "  behind  his  back."  If  God 
has  forgiven  me,  who  shall  bring  a  charge  against 
me?  "He  has  blotted  them  out  as  a  thick  cloud." 
You  see  a  cloud  to-night,  and  to-morrow  there  isn't 
a  cloud  to  be  seen.  "  He  casts  them  into  the  depths 
of  the  sea."  Som^e  one  has  said,  "  Thank  God  that 
it  is  a  sea  and  not  a  river;  a  river  might  dry  up,  but 
the  sea  cannot."  The  greatest  blessing  that  ever 
comes  to  me  this  side  of  heaven  is  when  God  for- 
gives me.  Have  you  been  forgiven?  The  fourth 
expression  is  that  he  removes  them  "  as  far  as  the 
east  is  from  the  west."  Do  you  know  how  far  that 
is?  Perhaps  some  good  mathematician  will  figure 
that  up.  "  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and 
just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from 
all  unrighteousness."  Then  make  sure  that  you  are 
forgiven.  D.  L.  Moody. 

If  God  had  waited  until  we  repented  and  asked  his 
pardon  for  our  sins  before  he  gave  his  Son  and 
brought  to  bear  upon  us  all  his  loving-kindness  to 
bring  us  to  repentance,  we  should  have  spent  eter- 
nity in  hell.  If  you  know  that  you  hold  any  ill 
will  toward  any  one,  and  you  wish  God  to  work  a 
mighty  work  in  your  soul,  get  down  and  ask  God  to 
cast  the  bitterness  out  of  your  heart. 

R.  A.  TORREY. 
118 


DAY 
XDC 


,  God  resisteth  the  proud,  and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble.— 
1  Pet.  V.  5. 

It  is  pride— unwillingness  to  admit  that  there  is 
any  fundamental  lack  in  our  experience— that  keeps 
many  back  from  spiritual  blessing.  Many  preachers 
of  the  gospel  fail  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  power  simply 
because  they  are  unwilling  to  come  right  out  and 
humbly  and  frankly  confess  that  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  the  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  which 
they  have  never  received,  and  that  they  have  been 
preaching  all  these  years  without  that  power  which 
Jesus  commanded  his  disciples  to  wait  for  before 
they  stirred  a  step.  R.  A.  Torrey. 

Pride  changed  an  archangel  in  heaven  into  a  devil 
in  hell,  and  pride  was  the  cause  of  all  the  wretched- 
ness of  man.  Pride  is  the  root  of  every  sin;  we 
need  to  see  that  above  everything  we  must  be  saved 
from  pride  and  self-will.  It  is  good  to  be  saved 
from  lying  and  stealing  and  murder  and  every  other 
evil;  but  a  man  needs,  above  all,  to  be  saved  from 
the  root  of  all  sin.  Andrew  Murray. 


There  is  a  false  humility,  which  is  marked  by  two 
signs:  first,  a  reluctance  to  enter  upon  the  work  of 
God,  on  the  ground  of  incapacity.  The  true  soldier 
of  Christ  says,  "  These  are  not  my  words  or  my 
works;  I  am  doing  my  Master's  work,  and  using  my 
Master's  weapons  in  my  Master's  service."  False 
humility  is  detected,  secondly,  by  self-consciousness. 
If  you  think  you  are  humble,  you  never  are. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

119 


DAY 
XX 

Let  us  lay  aside  every  weight,  and  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily 
beset  us,  and  let  us  run  with  patience  the  race  that  is  set  before 
us.— Heb.  xii.  1. 

Of  course  sins  are  weights,  but  all  weights  are  not 
sins.  A  sin  necessarily  impairs  or  destroys  all  com- 
munion with  God  and  all  spiritual  life,  but  a  weight 
is  something  which  is  not  necessarily  a  sin,  but 
which  is  a  hindrance.  The  author  of  this  epistle  says, 
"  Seeing  the  race  which  is  set  before  us,  let  us  not 
only  lay  aside  the  sin  which  makes  all  holy  running 
impossible,  but  let  us  lay  aside  every  weight  which 
prevents  all  rapid  racing." 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

God  is  willing  to  do  for  any  man  or  woman  all 
that  he  ever  did  for  any  one.  If  there  is  not  a 
mighty  work  of  God  in  us,  it  is  our  own  fault.  Find 
out  what  these  hindrances  are,  and  put  them  away. 

R.  A.  TORREY. 

Sometimes  professing  Christians  are  beset  by 
special  hindrances  to  their  usefulness— tendencies 
of  speech  or  action  that  mar  the  beauty  of  holiness 
most  sadly.  What  are  you  going  to  do  \^ith  the 
evil  habit,  or  the  half-dozen,  which  are  hindering 
you?  Fight  them  one  by  one;  that  is  one  way. 
What  did  you  do  last  winter  when  the  panes  of  the 
window  were  covered  with  frost,  and  you  could  not 
see  out  of  them?  Did  you  scratch  them  off  with  a 
knife?  That  would  take  too  long.  Heat  up  the 
room  and  the  frost  goes  off  the  pane.  Warm  up 
the  soul  with  the  love  of  Christ  and  the  bad  habits 
will  run  off.  That  is  what  Chalmers  calls  the  "  ex- 
pulsive power  of  a  new  affection."  Bring  Jesus 
Christ  into  the  soul  and  you  will  overcome  the  evil 
habits.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

120 


DAY 
XXI 

God  is  love ;  and  he  that  dwelleth  in  love  dwelleth  in  God,  and 
God  in  him.— 1  John  iv.  16. 

The  landscape  is  very  much  affected  by  the  glass 
through  which  you  regard  it.  If  that  glass  is  yel- 
low, everything  looks  yellow.  If  it  is  blue,  every- 
thing looks  blue.  If  it  is  somber,  everything  looks 
somber.  Now,  the  man  who  is  living  a  life  of  love 
looks  out  upon  his  life  through  the  love  of  God,  and 
the  love  of  God  has  such  a  mysterious  property  in 
it  that  it  takes  away  from  terrible  things  their  ter- 
ror, from  dreadful  things  their  dread,  and  from  the 
malignity  of  man  his  spite;  and  the  soul  looks  with 
a  calm  serenity  upon  all  the  circumstances  of  life, 
and  finds  itself  hushed  and  calm. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

You  are  not  very  holy  if  you  are  not  very  kind. 

Andrew  Bonar. 

Christ's  love  to  God  and  his  love  to  man  were  not 
two  great  passions,  but  one.  He  loved  man  because 
he  saw  God  in  him.  This  must  ever  be  the  pulse  of 
a  powerful  philanthropy— to  see  God  in  man.  In 
the  humblest— aye,  in  the  most  sinful  human  being 
—we  see  one  whom  God  loves,  whom  the  Saviour 
died  for,  and  who  may  be  an  heir  of  the  glory  of 
Christ.  James  Stalker. 

Love  stops  not  to  think  how  much  must  be  given 
and  what  may  be  kept;  it  gives  all.  What  is  your 
most  precious  possession?  Money?  Will  you  give 
it  up  to  him?  Your  voice?  Give  it  up  to  him. 
You  must  strip  yourself,  and  God  must  have  all. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

121 


DAY 
XXII 


Thou,  0  Lord,  art  a  shield  for  me;  my  glory,  and  the  lifter  up 
of  mine  head.— Ps.  iii.  3. 


God  is  whatever  you  need  him  to  be.  There  is 
an  old  tradition  among  the  Jews  that  the  manna 
tasted  like  whatever  you  were  hungry  for  every 
morning.  If  you  woke  up,  for  example,  hungry  for 
Egyptian  cucumbers  and  leeks,  and  did  not  murmur 
after  them,  but  thankfully  took  your  manna,  the 
manna  tasted  like  them.  And  God,  he  is  our  life; 
he  is  all  our  strength  and  stay,  and  is  whatever  we 
need  him  to  be.  Do  you  want  a  friend?  God  is  a 
friend.  Do  you  want  a  guide?  God  is  a  guide.  Do 
you  want  somebody  to  be,  as  it  were,  your  leader 
in  battle?  The  Lord  is  a  man  of  war.  Do  you 
want  somebody  to  be  your  advocate,  to  stand  in  the 
high  court  and  plead  your  cause  ?  We  have  an  Ad- 
vocate. Our  God  adapts  himself  exactly  to  the  very 
shape  and  body  and  color  of  our  wants. 

John  McNeill. 

What  God  the  Father  was  to  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ 
is  prepared  to  be  to  every  one  of  us.  In  reading 
the  gospel,  if  you  will  substitute  the  thought  of 
Christ's  relationship  to  yourself  every  time  Jesus 
speaks  of  the  Father's  attitude  to  him,  you  will  find 
that  the  gospel  will  have  a  new  emphasis  and  mean- 
ing. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

God  wants  all  his  sons  and  daughters  to  be  very 
happy,  but  he  wants  them  to  be  happy  in  a  way  that 
will  help  and  not  hinder  them, 

D.  L.  Moody. 

122 


DAY 

xxm 

I  can  do  all  things  [I  am  all-prevailing]  in  him  that  strength- 
eneth  me.— Phil.  iv.  13. 

A  great  Methodist  preacher  in  Manchester  once 
entered  his  pulpit,  gave  out  this  text,  and  began 
solemnly  reading  in  measured  tones:  "  *I  can  do  all 
things  '—Paul,"  he  said,  "  you  are  a  liar.  '  I  can  do 
all  things'— Paul,  thou  art  a  terrible  liar.  Oh,  I 
beg  your  pardon,  Paul;  I  see  it  now— 'through  Christ 
which  strengtheneth  me.'  That  is  quite  another 
thing.  Paul,  you  are  quite  right— ^  I  can  do  all  things 
through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  me.' "  This  is 
a  secret  worth  learning,  even  though  a  man  has  to  be 
shut  up  in  a  prison  with  a  galling  chain  on  his  wrist 
in  order  to  learn  it.  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

Ah,  if  we  but  knew  the  power  that  worketh  in  us 
and  the  power  that  worketh  for  us,  there  would  be 
less  talking  and  more  working,  and  things  that  seem 
to  be,  from  the  point  of  unbelief  and  panic-stricken- 
ness,  almost  too  big  to  attempt,  would  be  seen  to  be 
natural  and  obvious.  John  McNeill. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  diiference  between  social 
power,  political  power,  and  a  kind  of  religious  power. 
Strength  is  one  thing,  and  power  is  another.  The 
giant  of  Gath  had  strength,  but  David  had  power. 
It  would  be  a  good  idea  when  a  man  or  woman  wants 
to  join  the  church  to  ask  him  if  he  wants  to  be  a 
member  with  or  without  power.  If  he  says,  "  With- 
out power,"  it  would  be  well  to  say,  "  We  have  plenty 
of  that  kind  of  church-members.  What  we  want  is 
a  few  with  power."  D.  L.  Moody. 

We  have  a  supernatural  work  to  do,  and  we  must 
have  supernatural  power  with  which  to  do  it. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

123 


DAY 
XXIV 

Every  man  who  desires  the  pearl  of  great  price 
must  sacrifice  his  all  to  buy  it.  It  is  not  enough  to 
see  the  beauty  and  the  glory  and  almost  to  taste  the 
joy  of  this  wonderful  life;  you  must  become  the 
possessor  of  it.  The  man  had  found  and  seen,  de- 
sired and  rejoiced,  in  the  pearl  of  great  price,  but 
he  did  not  have  it  until  he  gave  up  everything  and 
bought  it. 

Ah,  friends,  there  is  a  great  deal  which  must  be 
given  up:  the  world,  its  pleasure,  its  favor,  its  good 
opinion.  The  world  rejected  Jesus  and  cast  him 
out,  and  you  must  take  up  the  position  of  your  Lord, 
to  whom  you  belong,  and  follow  with  the  rejected 
Christ.  You  have  to  give  up  all  that  is  good  in 
yourself,  even  your  past  religious  life  and  experi- 
ence and  successes,  and  to  be  humbled  in  the  dust 
of  death.  The  blessed  Spirit  cannot  teach  us  more 
effectually  only  because  the  wisdom  of  man  prevents 
the  light  of  God  from  shining  in. 

Some  Christians  may  be  holding  fast  some  doubt- 
ful thing,  not  willing  to  surrender  and  leave  behind 
the  whole  of  the  wilderness  life  and  lust. 

You  cannot  live  every  day  in  perfect  fellowship 
with  God  without  giving  up  time  to  it.  Hours  and 
days  and  weeks  and  months  and  years  are  gladly 
given  up  by  men  and  women  to  perfect  themselves 
in  some  profession  or  accomplishment.  Do  you  ex- 
pect that  religion  is  so  cheap  that  without  giving 
time  you  can  find  close  fellowship  with  God?  You 
cannot.  But,  my  brothers  and  sisters,  this  pearl  is 
worth  everything.  If  you  find  that  there  is  a  strug- 
gle within  the  heart,  never  mind.  By  God's  grace, 
if  you  will  lie  at  his  feet,  you  may  depend  upon  it 
deliverance  will  come.  Andrew  Murray. 

•124 


DAY 
XXV 


In  these  days  the  work  of  rescuing  the  individual 
sinner  is  very  popular,  but  it  is  not  so  popular  to 
point  out  and  put  down  the  evil  that  destroys  him, 
because  there  are  material  interests  involved.  Men 
are  trying  to  save  a  few  wrecks  here  and  there, 
while  thousands  go  down  and  the  wreckers  keep 
plying  their  trade.  It  is  better  to  hang  or  reform 
the  wreckers  than  to  save  one  wreck. 

Charles  A.  Blanchard. 

Possibly  the  most  eloquent  passage  that  Dr.  Guth- 
rie ever  uttered  was  one  in  which  he  said  little.  He 
was  pleading  for  a  ragged  school,  and  a  large  con- 
gregation of  conservative  people  were  opposing  him. 
One  man  said,  "  I  am  utterly  opposed  to  this  plan. 
You  intend  to  go  down  among  those  people  who  are 
the  very  offscouring  of  the  earth,  dirty,  filthy,  in- 
temperate, and  vicious,  expecting  to  make  decent 
folks  of  them.  I  for  one  do  not  care  to  spend  my 
money  in  trying  to  accomplish  what  is  impossible. 
The  very  rags  on  which  your  feet  step  as  you  go 
along  the  street  are  better  than  they."  Dr.  Guth- 
rie, filled  with  indignation,  took  a  piece  of  white 
paper  and  waved  it  before  them.  "My  friends, 
what  is  this  paper  made  of?  Is  it  not  made  of 
those  very  rags  that  you  trample  under  your  feet?  " 

A.  J.  Gordon. 


Never  despair  of  any  man.  Seek  him  out  to  save 
him,  even  though  he  be  as  the  vilest  reptile.  Go 
and  die  for  him  if  necessary. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

125 


DAY 
XXVI 

When  you  are  discouraged,  when  you  see  how 
much  worldliness  there  is  in  the  church,  defections 
in  doctrine  and  defections  in  the  members,  when 
you  see  how  little  impression  has  been  made  on  this 
world  by  nineteen  centuries  of  Christian  history,  do 
you  not  think  that  it  is  an  encouragement  and  a 
help  for  the  child  of  God  to  feel  that  he  has  a  con- 
ception of  God's  work,  in  which  he  is  simply  working 
for  God  along  the  lines  that  God  projected?  He 
has  to  do  what  God  gives  him  to  do,  and  leave  the 
result  to  God.  He  does  not  estimate  his  success  by 
figures,  but  he  says,  "  I  am  commanded  by  my  Lord 
to  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature;  I  go  as  I  am  bidden,  and  leave  the 
strategy  to  my  Lord  himself.  What  he  means,  he 
knows,  but  what  he  commands,  I  do." 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

0  church  of  the  living  God,  awake!— arise  from 
your  lethargy,  and  spring  forward  to  the  conflict. 
Give  your  choicest  sons,  your  loveliest  daughters, 
to  this  war  of  Immanuel.  Consecrate  to  him  your 
silver  and  your  gold.  Fill  up  the  mission  treasuries 
to  overflowing.  Let  a  shout  go  forth  that  shall  leap 
over  seas  and  continents,  and  reach  the  ears  of  your 
waiting  hosts  in  those  distant  lands.  And  what 
shall  that  shout  be?  Shall  we  catch  the  cry, 
"  March  onward !  Seize  every  point  of  vantage.  Call 
upon  the  enemy  to  surrender.  Reinforcements  five 
thousand  strong  are  on  the  way;  supplies  in  abun- 
dance are  coming.  March  on,  and  conquer  the  land 
for  Christ  "?  This  is  the  shout  that  we  long  to 
hear,  but  it  has  not  come.    Shall  it  be  long  delayed? 

Jacob  Chamberlain. 

126 


DAY 

xxvn 

There  was  a  defect  in  the  faith  of  many  who  came 
to  Christ  to  be  healed.  But  it  was  not  the  strength 
of  their  faith  Christ  looked  to,  but  the  reality  of  it. 
They  got  the  cure  though  the  hand  that  touched 
him  trembled.  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

Our  faith  needs  strengthening,  and  it  would  be 
an  unkindness  for  God  to  give  us  great  answers 
to  wavering  faith.  If  we  have  not  faith  enough  to 
remove  a  mountain,  we  may  climb  it  step  by  step, 
and,  when  we  reach  its  summit,  our  spiritual  mus- 
cles will  be  greatly  strengthened,  and  from  the 
height  thus  gained  we  may  breathe  a  purer  atmo- 
sphere and  get  a  broader  view.  A.  C.  Dixon. 

I  heard  of  a  woman  in  Scotland  who  was  intro- 
duced to  a  minister  by  another  minister  as  a  woman 
of  great  faith.  She  instantly  rebuked  him  by  say- 
ing, "  No;  I  am  a  woman  of  little  faith  with  a  great 
God."  She  had  the  right  idea.  If  I  have  even  a 
little  faith  I  have  the  power  of  the  Almighty  behind 
me.  D.  L.  MooDY. 

The  faith  that  rests  in  Jesus  is  the  faith  that 
trusts  itself  to  him  with  all  it  has.  In  our  homes, 
in  our  business,  in  society,  everywhere,  let  Christ  be 
the  one  object  of  our  trust.  If  you  want  power  in 
your  house,  in  your  Bible  class,  in  your  social  circle 
and  your  nation,  or  in  the  church  of  Christ,  then 
come  into  contact  with  Jesus  in  this  rest  of  faith 
that  accepts  his  life  fully,  that  trusts  him  fully  for 
yourself,  and  you  will  be  able  by  faith  to  influence 
your  family,  by  faith  to  overcome  the  world,  by 
faith  to  bless  others,  by  faith  to  live  a  life  to  the 
glory  of  God.  Andrew  Murray. 

127 


DAY 

xxvra 


If  we  really  believe  that  God  loved  us  with  his 
whole  heart,  what  a  help  it  would  be  to  us  in  our 
daily  lives!  We  would  then  feel  that  we  could  go 
at  any  moment  into  the  presence  of  a  loving  Father, 
who  cared  as  much  for  us  as  if  he  had  nothing  else 
to  care  for.  A  child  may  come  into  the  presence 
of  its  earthly  father,  except  when  the  parent  is  oc- 
cupied. Our  heavenly  Father  is  never  so  occupied. 
At  all  times  he  will  bestow  on  us  the  same  attention. 
A  child  likes  to  play  in  the  presence  of  its  earthly 
parents,  even  though  they  take  no  notice  of  it,  and 
is  happy  simply  because  it  is  with  them.  How 
much  more  ought  we  to  be  joyous  in  our  heavenly 
Father's  presence!  We  need  not  be  always  singing. 
The  heart  has  a  silent  language.  There  is  too  little 
of  adoration— simple  worship— at  the  present  time. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

Worship  is  a  blessed  privilege,  not  only  because 
it  brings  supreme  joy,  but  because  it  also  brings 
likeness  to  God.  It  is  by  communion  with  God  we 
are  made  like  him.  When  Moses  cam^e  do^vn  from 
beholding  God,  his  own  face  shone  with  a  strange 
and  awful  glory;  and  Paul  says  that  "  we  all,  reflect- 
ing as  a  mirror  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are  trans- 
formed into  the  same  image  from  glory  to  glory." 
Our  complete  transformation  into  his  likeness  will 
come  through  the  complete  and  undivided  vision  of 
himself.  "We  shall  be  like  him;  for  we  shall  see 
him  even  as  he  is." 

R.  A,  TORREY, 
128 


DAY 
XXIX 


We  talk  about  being  "  filled  with  the  Spirit,"  yet 
Paul  goes  beyond  that  in  Ephesians  iii.  14,  where  he 
says,  ''For  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  .  .  .  that  ye, 
being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  may  be  able  to 
comprehend  with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth,  and 
length,  and  depth,  and  height;  and  to  know  the  love 
of  Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge,  that  ye  might 
be"— filled  with?  No;  "that  ye  might  he  filled 
into  all  the  fullness  of  God."  Do  you  not  see  the 
difference?  Here  are  empty  vessels.  You  say, 
"First  get  yourself  empty  and  then  full."  I  may 
dip  out  and  fill  these  vessels;  but  put  an  emipty  ves- 
sel into  the  ocean,  and  it  quickly  fills  itself.  This 
seems  to  be  Paul's  thought.  Archbishop  Leighton 
makes  a  beautiful  comment  on  the  words  of  Christ, 
"  Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord."  The  arch- 
bishop, lifting  up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  said,  "Lord 
Jesus,  it  is  only  a  little  joy  that  now  enters  into  us; 
but  by  and  by  we  shall  enter  into  joy  as  vessels  put 
into  a  sea  of  happiness."  Cast  yourself  into  the 
great  deeps  of  the  Spirit,  then  there  will  be  no 
trouble  in  getting  filled. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 


The  gift  of  Pentecost  is  for  you;  as  you  claimed 
forgiveness  from  the  hand  of  the  dying  Christ,  j-ou 
must  claim  your  Pentecost  from  the  hand  of  the 
risen  Christ;  and  as  you  were  forgiven  in  answer  to 
your  faith,  so  you  shall  now  be  endued  and  filled 
and  glorified  by  the  Holy  Ghost  according  to  your 
faith.     The  same  law  applies  inviolably. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

129 


DAY 
XXX 

God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver.— 2  Cor.  ix.  7. 

In  Herefordshire  there  was  one  very  rich  man  in 
my  parish,  who  had  a  sudden  paralytic  stroke  when 
I  was  away  from  home  for  a  holiday.  He  was  a 
common,  ignorant  farmer,  and  had  come  into  eighty 
thousand  pounds  through  the  death  of  a  brother. 
He  had  told  me  that  he  did  not  care  for  his  brother's 
money  because  he  had  as  much  as  he  wanted  before, 
and  yet  he  had  not  given  more  than  sixpence  a  year 
for  charity.  As  soon  as  I  returned  home  I  went 
down  to  see  him,  and  he  said,  "The  Lord  has 
stricken  me,  and  I  am  afraid  I  may  die.  I  have  sent 
for  you  at  once  that  I  may  do  what  I  suppose  is 
right  before  God;  I  want  to  go  to  heaven,  and  I  want 
you  to  take  a  hundred  pounds  for  the  poor."  I 
looked  him  straight  in  the  face,  and  said,  "  Do  you 
think  you  are  going  to  buy  your  soul's  way  to  glory 
by  a  dirty  hundred  pounds!  Give  your  money  where 
you  like;  I  v^dll  not  touch  it!"  That  was  rather 
strong;  but,  blessed  be  God,  the  man  lived  seven 
years,  and  was  a  very  different  man  before  he  died. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

There  is  no  happiness  in  having  and  getting,  but 
only  in  giving;  half  the  world  is  on  the  wrong  scent 
in  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 

Henry  Drummond. 

"Our  citizenship  is  in  heaven."  Any  Christian 
who  can  realize  the  meaning  of  that  text  will  be  a 
Christian  wholly  separated  from  the  world.  He  will 
pay  taxes  where  his  treasure  is.  Nine  tenths  of  the 
Christians  are  paying  taxes  do\vn  here  in  the  world. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

130 


DAonth  of  DA  ay 

Apple  "Blossoms 
F.  "B.  Meyer  The  Seminary  'Buildings 


^^^^ 


And  Elisha  said,  I  pray  thee,  let  a  double  portion  [the  first- 
born son's  portion]  of  thy  spirit  be  upon  me.  And  he  said,  Thou 
hast  asked  a  hard  thing:  nevertheless,  if  thou  see  me  when  I  am 
taken  from  thee,  it  shall  be  so.— 2  Kings  ii.  9. 

That  was  the  condition  of  the  coveted  blessing— 
"if  thou  see  me."  Do  you  not  think  that  Elisha 
kept  a  sharp  watch  on  Elijah  ?  Then  suddenly  there 
swept  down  that  chariot  of  fire;  Elijah  stepped  into 
his  Father^s  carriage,  which  had  come  to  take  him 
home,  and  was  swept  away  up  to  heaven.  As  Elisha 
watched  him,  Elijah  seems  to  have  suddenly  thought 
he  would  not  want  the  old  mantle  up  there,  that  he 
would  get  a  new  white  robe;  so  he  threw  the  old 
one  down  at  Elisha's  feet.  Then  Elisha  took  it  up 
reverently,  and  said  to  himself,  "I  have  seen  him 
go,  and  I  have  what  he  promised."  I  doubt  not  the 
devil  said  to  him,  "  Ah,  you  are  a  fool !  you  have 
nothing  but  an  old  mantle  that  is  not  worth  your 
carrying."  "  Yes,"  said  Elisha,  "  I  have  something 
more  than  that— I  have  his  power."  "  You  do  not 
feel  it,  do  you  ?  "  "  No ;  but  that  makes  no  difference ; 
I  have  it  for  all  that.  I  saw  him  go,  and  I  have  it 
though  I  do  not  feel  it."  When  he  reached  the 
Jordan  there  were  a  number  of  young  students 
watching  him.  I  think  the  devil  said,  "Now  see 
those  shrewd  young  fellows  looking  at  you;  if  you 
make  a  failure,  they  will  never  forget  it;  and  you 
are  bound  to  fail.  Wait  until  they  have  gone  home 
to  supper,  and  when  it  is  a  bit  dusk  you  can  practise 
with  your  old  mantle."  "  No,"  he  said,  "  I  am  not 
going  to  practise  with  it;  I  do  not  need  to;  I  have  my 
master's  power,  and  I  am  going  to  act  in  faith."  And 
he  struck  the  waters  in  faith ;  in  the  act  of  faith  he 
found  he  received  that  for  which  he  trusted  God. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

131 


DAY 

n 


^^T^^^^^^^^-^ 


Would  it  not  be  better  to  leave  to-morrow  with 
God?  That  is  what  is  troubling  men;  to-morrow's 
temptations,  to-morrow's  difficulties,  to-morrow's 
burdens,  to-morrow's  duties.  Martin  Luther  in  his 
autobiography  says,  "I  have  one  preacher  that  I 
love  better  than  any  other  upon  earth ;  it  is  my  little 
tame  robin,  which  preaches  to  me  daily.  I  put  his 
crumbs  upon  my  windov/-sill,  especially  at  night. 
He  hops  on  to  the  sill  when  he  wants  his  supply, 
and  takes  as  much  as  he  desires  to  satisfy  his  need. 
From  thence  he  always  hops  on  to  a  little  tree  close 
by,  and  lifts  up  his  voice  to  God  and  sings  his  carol 
of  praise  and  gratitude,  tucks  his  little  head  under 
his  wing  and  goes  fast  asleep,  and  leaves  to-morrow 
to  look  after  itself.  He  is  the  best  preacher  that  I 
have  on  earth."  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

Moment  by  moment  I'm  kept  in  his  love; 
Moment  by  moment  I've  life  from  above; 
Looking  to  Jesus  till  glory  doth  shine. 
Moment  by  moment,  0  Lord,  I  am  thine. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 

So  many  Christians  want  to  walk  by  sight;  they 
want  to  see  how  a  thing  is  going  to  come  out. 
Jacob  walked  by  sight.  He  never  could  have  gone 
through  the  temptations  and  trials  that  his  son 
Joseph  did.  Joseph  had  more  faith:  he  could  walk 
in  the  dark.  Lot  was  a  weak  character,  and  should 
have  stayed  with  Abraham.  A  good  many  men,  as 
long  as  they  are  bolstered  up  by  some  godly  person, 
get  along  very  well;  but  they  can't  stand  alone. 
Have  faith  in  God  to  guide  you,  even  though  you 
can't  see.  D.  L.  Moody. 

132 


w^^^ 


DAY 

m 


It  is  not  strange  when  you  have  the  Bible  deal- 
ing with  the  physical  world,  and  when  physical  science 
is  dealing  with  the  same  facts,  that  you  should  have 
a  double  interpretation  of  the  same  phenomena. 
The  double  interpretation  makes  it  all  the  stronger; 
we  see  that  every  day.  I  go  early  in  the  morning 
and  make  a  very  informal  call  upon  a  friend  with 
whom  I  am  very  intimate.  I  walk  in  without  knock- 
ing, it  may  be,  and  I  say  to  the  first  one  I  meet,  "  Is 
So-and-so  at  home?"  I  say  to  myself,  "Yes,  he 
must  be  here;  his  hat  and  cane  are  here,  and  there 
is  a  favorite  book  he  has  left  open;  there  are  indica- 
tions all  around  of  his  having  been  here  within  a 
short  time."  And,  answering  my  question  himself, 
he  says,  "  Yes;  I  will  be  down  in  a  minute."  I  have 
performed  a  rapid  and  unconscious  induction,  and 
then  received  the  direct  information  from  him.  I  go 
around  this  world  and  I  investigate  it;  I  interpret  it 
and  say,  "Is  God  here?"  And  I  perform  an  induc- 
tion, which  I  call  an  argument,  for  the  existence  of 
God;  and  while  I  am  going  through  that  process  of 
reasoning  I  get  a  message  from  God  himself.  He 
says,  "In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens 
and  the  earth."  Is  there  any  trouble  about  my  in- 
ference reached  one  way  and  God's  information 
given  me  in  another  way?  No;  the  Christian  creed 
is  strengthened  by  the  double  testimony  of  science 
and  revelation. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 


No  single  fact  in  science  has  ever  discredited  a 
fact  in  religion. 

Henry  Drummond. 

133 


DAY 
IV 

The  authenticity  of  the  Scriptures  depends  upon 
the  truth  of  the  facts  contained  in  them,  and  not  upon 
men's  interpretation  of  those  facts.  Facts  alone 
can  authenticate  anything.  Leave  the  settlement 
to  interpretation,  and  you  have  as  many  interpreta- 
tions as  you  have  interpreters.  If  a  document  is 
authentic  its  authenticity  must  be  established  by 
questions  of  fact,  and  when  this  is  done  no  interpre- 
tation can  set  it  aside.  All  the  philosophies  of  man 
must  fall  when  they  come  in  contact  with  a  single 
fact.  The  fall  of  an  apple  and  the  discovery  of 
gravitation  destroyed  the  philosophy  that  man  had 
been  building  for  six  thousand  years. 

Suppose  that  I  should  attempt  to  do  with  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  what  the  opposers 
of  Christianity  for  eighteen  hundred  years  have  been 
trying  to  do  with  the  Bible.  They  offer  their  own 
interpretations  as  proof  that  God  is  not  the  author 
of  the  Bible.  I  might  offer  my  interpretation  to  prove 
that  the  fathers  never  made  the  Constitution. 

If  the  Bible  is  ever  authenticated,  it  must  be  done 
in  the  same  way  that  any  other  document  is  authen- 
ticated—by a  study  of  its  facts.  In  no  other  way 
could  a  revelation  be  given  than  by  supernatural 
acts  attesting  a  divine  mission,  and  then  by  monu- 
mental testimony,  as  "  seals,"  putting  these  evidences 
in  an  imperishable  form  to  transmit  to  future  gen- 
erations. The  acts  which  Moses  and  Christ  performed 
were  the  highest  evidences  that  God  could  give  that 
he  had  sent  them.  The  national  monuments  are  as 
good  evidence  to  us  as  the  acts  were  to  those 
who  saw  them.  Testimony,  accompanied  by  proper 
"  seals  "  and  attestations,  can  lose  none  of  its  value 
by  time.  I.  D.  Driver. 

134 


DAY 

V 

A  Bible  that  man  can  comprehend,  or  anybody 
else  can  comprehend,  is  not  very  much  of  a  Bible. 
Infinite  things  cannot  be  grasped  by  the  human  mind. 
The  Bible  opens  with  three  great  mysteries:  the 
mystery  of  time,  the  mystery  of  being,  and  the 
mystery  of  creation.  We  cannot  understand  them; 
they  are  past  our  finding  out. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

The  great  canon  of  interpretation,  that  spiritual 
things  are  spiritually  discerned,  cannot  be  too 
strongly  insisted  on.  One  cannot  interpret  Scrip- 
ture by  mere  intellect  any  more  than  a  mathemati- 
cian can  interpret  the  oratorio,  "  The  Creation,"  by 
his  multiplication  table,  or  a  shopkeeper  can  com- 
prehend "  Paradise  Lost "  with  his  yardstick.  Only 
the  Spirit  that  inspired  the  Word  of  God  can  give 
us  the  key  to  that  Word.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

Did  you  ever  notice  the  inspiration  that  is  found 
in  what  is  not  said  in  the  Bible?  Swedenborg  openly 
declares  what  the  Bible  leaves  in  mystery.  Suppose 
that  the  Bible  had  pronounced  on  the  age  when  we 
become  morally  responsible.  Suppose  the  Bible  had 
pronounced  on  science,  and  so  diverted  man's  atten- 
tion from  spiritual  things.  We  do  not  know  what 
Paul's  thorn  in  the  flesh  was;  consequently  we  each 
think  that  our  particular  infirmity  or  trouble  may 
be  like  Paul's.  Nothing  is  said  as  to  the  limits  of 
propriety  in  the  matter  of  worldly  amusements. 
Nothing  is  said  of  the  personal  features  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  These  and  many  other  matters  are 
passed  over  in  silence,  and  the  wisdom  of  that  si- 
lence is  as  great  as  the  wisdom  of  speech. 

A.  T.  PlERSON. 

135 


DAY 
VI 

We  find  in  Scripture  the  word  "  true  "  used  with 
regard  to  a  number  of  objects:  the  true  bread,  the 
true  wine,  the  true  manna,  the  true  tabernacle. 
What  is  this  intended  to  teach  us?  God  could  have 
made  man  to  need  no  sleep,  to  need  no  food,  as 
we  have  reason  to  suppose  the  angels  were  made; 
but  had  this  been  the  case  we  should  have  known 
nothing  of  rest,  as  we  now  know  it,  nor  could  we 
have  learned  the  spiritual  truths  revealed  to  us 
through  the  illustration  of  food  and  nourishment. 
So  that  the  bread  we  eat  is  not  true  bread;  but 
Christ  is  the  true  bread,  of  which  it  is  merely  a  type. 
The  earthly  relationship  of  parent  and  child  is  only 
a  type  and  dim  reflection  of  the  preexisting  relation- 
ship in  the  divine  mind;  and  all  that  the  bridegroom 
and  bride  bring  before  us  of  trust  and  of  love  are 
only  intended  to  teach  us  the  true  relationship  of 
the  church  to  Christ,  and  of  Christ  to  his  church. 
We  only  rightly  knov/  him  v/hen  we  realize  that  to 
please  God  is  to  give  God  pleasure,  as  earthly  pa- 
rents receive  pleasure  when  their  children  please 
them.  J.  Hudson  Taylor. 

There  are  seven  marvelous  truths  contained  in 
John  iii.  16:  1.  The  greatest  possible  gift:  God  gave 
his  Son;  2.  For  the  greatest  possible  number:  ''the 
world;"  3.  On  the  easiest  possible  terms:  "whoso- 
ever believeth;"  4.  For  the  most  blessed  deliverance 
from  eternal  perdition:  "  shall  never  perish;"  5.  The 
greatest  blessing:  "everlasting  life;"  6.  On  the 
highest  possible  security:  on  the  witness  of  Christ 
himself;  7.  From  the  highest  possible  motive,  God's 
love:  "God  so  loved  the  v/orld." 

Marcus  Rainsford. 

136 


W^^^  ""y^ 


This  little  world  was  the  altar  of  the  universe  on 
which  lay  the  almighty  Sacrifice.  The  incarnation 
was  but  the  scaffolding  for  the  atonement.  ^  It  is  the 
cross  that  shows  us  the  love  of  God  at  white  heat. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

God's  Word  teaches  us  two  things  about  the  cross 
of  Christ:  Christ  died /or  sin  and  for  me.  But  what 
gave  his  death  such  power  to  atone  was  the  spirit 
in  which  he  died.  He  died  unto  sin.  Sin  had 
tempted  him  in  Gethsemane  to  say,  "  I  cannot  die." 
But,  God  be  praised,  he  died  unto  sin,  and  in  dying 
he  conquered.  He  gave  up  his  life  rather  than 
yield  to  sin.  I  cannot  die/c>r  sin  like  Christ,  but  I 
can  and  must  die  to  sin  like  Christ. 

Andrew  Murray. 

We  are  not  pardoned  on  the  ground  of  any  com- 
promise. God  has  not  agreed  to  let  us  off  for  fifty 
cents  on  a  dollar;  he  has  not  allowed  us  to  go  into 
bankruptcy  and  take  a  poor  debtor's  oath.  We  are 
forgiven  on  the  ground  of  justice.  ''Justification  "  is 
Paul's  word.  God  is  just  to  you  because  in  Christ 
you  have  died.  So  in  Romans  you  read,  "  He  that 
is  dead  is  free  from  sin; "  Revised  Version,  "  He  that 
hath  died  is  justified  from  sin."  A  man  was  drafted 
in  the  war,  and  his  substitute  went  to  the  field  of 
battle  and  died.  When  the  man  was  drafted  again 
he  pleaded  that  he  was  dead,  and  was  justified  by 
the  courts.  That  point  has  been  decided  in  court 
three  times:  once  in  America,  once  in  France,  and 
once  in  Germany. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

137 


DAY 

vm 


It  were  easier  to  disprove  .the  existence  of  George 
Washington  or  Napoleon  Bonaparte  than  that  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  to  blot  out  Bunker  Hill  or  Water- 
loo than  Calvary.  Did  George  Washington  live,  and 
do  the  22d  of  February  and  the  4th  of  July  prove 
it?  How  about  that  other  anniversary,  dear  to 
England  and  to  America,  and  destined  to  be  the 
greatest  day  in  all  the  earth,  observed  by  gifts  from 
parents  to  children  to  commemorate  God's  gift  to 
man?  Why  is  that  observed  at  all?  Because  of 
Christ.  Who  is  he?  Suppose  that  he  were  just 
now  to  come— as  come  he  will,  we  know  not  when 
—and,  making  himself  evident  to  us,  should  say, 
"Who  do  men  say  that  I,  the  Son  of  man,  am?" 
I  would  have  to  say,  "  Blessed  Master,  some  say  that 
thou  art  a  myth,"  unless  my  tongue  should  cleave 
to  the  roof  of  my  mouth  so  that  I  could  not  utter  the 
word.  "  Some  say  that  thou  art  a  fancy  portrait, 
and  that  a  picture  has  turned  the  world  on  its 
hinges."  And  then,  should  he  go  on  to  say, "  Who 
say  ye  that  I  am?  "  oh,  now,  on  my  bended  knee  and 
with  streaming  tears,  I  would  cry,  "Thou  art  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  For  he  has  out- 
lived himself,  outlived  death  and  the  grave. 

Cyrus  D.  Foss. 


Christ's  character  was  prefigured  by  the  national 
tabernacle.  The  Holy  Ghost  gave  the  tabernacle 
three  names:  the  tent  of  meeting,  the  tent  of  wit- 
ness, and  the  dwelling-place  of  God.  Christ  was 
the  meeting-place  for  God  and  man,  a  witness  for 
the  Father,  and  there  God  dwelt. 

M.  E.  Baldwin. 

138 


^^^^ 


DAY 
IX 


In  the  first  Adam  I  died  to  God;  I  died  in  sin. 
When  I  was  born  I  had  the  life  of  the  fallen  Adam. 
The  moment  I  am  born  again  by  believing  in  Jesus 
I  become  united  to  Christ,  the  second  Adam,  and  am 
made  partaker  of  the  life  of  Christ— that  life  which 
died  unto  sin  and  rose  again.  Therefore  God  tells 
us,  "Reckon  yourselves  indeed  dead  unto  sin,  and 
alive  unto  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  As  in  the  first 
Adam  you  died  in  sin  and  unto  God,  so  in  the  second 
Adam  you  died  in  Christ  and  unto  sin.  Many  Chris- 
tians do  not  understand  that  they  are  dead  to  sin; 
therefore  Paul  says,  "  How  shall  we,  that  are  dead  to 
sin,  live  any  longer  therein  ?  Know  ye  not,  that  so 
many  of  us  as  were  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ  were 
baptized  into  his  death  ?  " 

You  must  get  hold  of  your  union  to  Christ;  believe 
in  the  new  nature  within  you,  that  spiritual  life  which 
you  have  from  Christ,  a  life  that  has  died  and  has 
been  raised  again.  Every  man  acts  according  to 
the  idea  he  has  of  his  state.  A  king  acts  like  a 
king  if  he  is  conscious  of  his  kingship.  So  I  cannot 
live  the  life  of  a  true  believer  unless  I  am  conscious 
every  day  that  I  am  dead  in  Christ.  He  died  unto 
sin:  I  am  united  with  him,  and  he  lives  in  me,  and  I 
am  dead  to  sin.  Adam  lives  in  a  natural  man  the 
death-life,  a  life  under  the  power  of  sin,  a  life  of 
death  to  God.  Christ,  the  second  Adam,  has  come 
to  me  with  a  new  life,  and  I  now  live  in  his  life,  the 
death-life  of  Christ.  Andrew  Murray. 

The  difference  between  the  regenerate  and  the 
unregenerate  man  is  that  the  unregenerate  man 
lives  in  sin,  and  he  loves  it;  but  the  regenerate  man 
lapses  into  sin,  and  he  loathes  it. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

139 


DAY 
X 


He  that  covereth  his  sins  shall  not  prosper.— Prov.  xxviii.  13. 

Sins  unconfessed  and  not  set  straight  are  hindering 
a  mighty  work  of  God  in  many  a  man  and  woman  to- 
day. David  tried  not  confessing  his  sins  to  God,  and 
we  know  the  misery  he  experienced.  He  says  in  the 
Thirty-second  Psalm,  ''When  I  kept  silence,  my 
bones  waxed  old  through  my  roaring  all  the  day 
long.  For  day  and  night  thy  hand  was  heavy  upon 
me."  At  last  he  came  to  his  senses;  he  confessed 
his  transgressions,  and  the  Lord  forgave  the  iniquity 
of  his  sin.  Then  God  wrought  mightily  in  David, 
and  the  Thirty-second  Psalm  and  the  Fifty-first 
Psalm,  and  many  another  psalm  that  has  comforted 
and  edified  the  children  of  God  for  nearly  three 
thousand  years,  are  the  result. 

R.  A.  TORREY. 


Nine  tenths  of  our  prayers  never  go  higher  than 
the  room  they  are  uttered  in.  Why?  Something 
is  concealed.  If  I  regard  iniquity  in  my  heart  God 
will  not  hear,  much  less  answer;  and  if  our  prayers 
are  not  answered  let  us  not  think  the  trouble  is  on 
God's  side,  for  it  is  on  ours.  Isaiah  lix.  is  quoted 
many  times  by  men  who  stop  in  the  wrong  place. 
"  Behold,  the  Lord's  hand  is  not  shortened,  that  it 
cannot  save:  but  your  iniquities  have  separated  be- 
tween you  and  your  God,  and  your  sins  have  hid  his 
face  from  you,  that  he  will  not  hear."  As  long  as 
you  have  a  bullet  in  your  body  you  will  never  have 
a  perfectly  healthy  body;  and  as  long  as  you  have  a 
sin  in  your  soul  you  will  not  have  a  healthy  soul. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

140 


Let  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  say  so.— Ps.  cvii.  2. 

Run  up  the  colors  to  the  masthead.  We  must 
confess  Christ.  Some  of  us  mean  well,  but  a  false 
discretion  overtakes  us.  We  are  not  unlike  that 
soldier  who  w^as  always  discovered,  in  the  shock  of 
battle,  betaking  himself,  without  orders,  to  safe 
places.  The  captain  at  last  accused  him  of  having 
a  cowardly  heart.  "Oh,"  said  the  soldier,  "my 
heart  is  as  brave  as  can  be,  but  whenever  danger 
comes  I  have  a  cowardly  pair  of  legs  that  run  off 
with  my  brave  heart."  Many  of  us  are  like  that. 
Our  convictions  are  right  when  confession  is  not 
needed,  but  in  the  shock  of  battle  we  fail. 

John  McNeill. 

I  heard  of  a  young  man  who  went  into  the  army. 
The  first  night  in  the  barracks,  with  about  fifteen 
men  plajdng  cards  and  gambling  around  him,  he 
fell  on  his  knees  and  prayed,  and  they  began  to 
curse  and  to  throw  boots  at  him.  So  it  went  on  the 
next  night  and  the  next,  and  finally  the  young  man 
told  the  chaplain  what  had  taken  place,  and  asked 
him  what  he  should  do.  "  Well,"  the  chaplain  said, 
"  those  soldiers  have  just  as  much  right  in  the  bar- 
racks as  you  have.  It  makes  them  angry  to  have 
you  pray,  and  the  Lord  will  hear  you  just  as  well  in 
bed."  Som.e  weeks  after  that  the  chaplain  met  the 
young  man  and  asked,  "  By  the  way,  did  you  take 
my  advice?"  "I  did  for  two  or  three  nights;  but 
I  felt  like  a  whipped  hound,  and  the  third  night  I 
knelt  down  and  prayed."  "Well,"  said  the  chaplain, 
"  how  did  that  work  ?  "  The  young  soldier  answered, 
"We  have  a  prayer-meeting  there  now  every  night; 
three  have  been  converted,  and  we  are  praying  for 
the  rest."  D.  L.  Moody. 

141 


DAY 

xn 


^TS^^^^B^^i^'^*^ 


Thomas  said  before  Christ's  death,  "Let  us  go 
and  die  with  him;"  and  Peter  said,  "Lord,  I  am 
ready  to  go  with  thee,  both  into  prison,  and  to  death." 
But  the  disciples  all  failed,  and  our  Lord  took  a  man, 
one  of  the  off  scouring  of  the  earth,  who  hung  beside 
him  on  Calvary,  and  through  him  shows  us  what  it 
is  to  die  with  him.  He  shows  us,  first  of  all,  the 
state  of  a  heart  prepared  to  die  with  Christ— a 
humble,  whole-hearted  confession  of  guilt.  Here  is 
one  reason  why  the  church  enters  so  little  into  the 
death  of  Christ;  men  do  not  wish  to  believe  that  the 
curse  of  God  is  upon  everything  in  them  that  has 
not  died  with  Christ.  The  church  suffers  to-day 
from  trusting  in  intellect  and  culture.  Men  rob  the 
intellect  of  its  crucifixion  mark.  Christ  said  to 
Paul,  "  Go,  preach  the  gospel  of  the  cross,  but  not 
with  wisdom  of  words."  The  intellect,  the  affections, 
everything,  must  go  into  the  grave  with  Christ. 
God  will  raise  them  from  the  dead  again,  sanctified 
and  made  alive  unto  God. 

Then  the  penitent  thief  had  faith  in  the  almighty 
power  of  Christ;  there  is  not  a  faith  in  the  Bible  like 
that.  This  cursed  malefactor,  hanging  on  the  cross 
beside  Jesus,  dares  to  say,  "  I  am  dying  under  the 
just  curse  of  my  sins,  but  I  believe  that  thou  canst 
take  me  into  thy  heart.  Remember  me  when  thou 
comest  into  thy  kingdom."  Brother,  you  and  I  need 
a  much  deeper  faith  in  the  power  of  Christ  to  take 
us  into  his  arms  and  carry  us  through  this  death-life. 
Would  you,  now  that  Christ  is  on  the  throne,  be 
afraid  of  doing  what  the  malefactor  did  when  Christ 
was  upon  the  cross— to  trust  yourself  to  him  to 
live  as  one  dead  with  him? 

Andrew  Murray. 

142 


^^^^« 


DAY 

xni 


Have  you  ever  noticed  that  people  who  flatter 
themselves  that  it  is  not  foolish  to  live  a  kind  of 
half-and-half  life,  sanctified  so  far  as  belonging  to 
God  is  concerned,  but  living  in  the  most  perilous 
surroundings  and  dangerous  habits,  always  think 
that  they  can  escape  the  danger  of  corruption  and 
influence  others?  Lot  dwelt  in  Sodom  mth  the 
expectation  that  he  could  affect  the  people  around 
him  for  good.  But  be  assured  that  the  world  will 
drag  you  down  to  their  level;  you  will  never  bring 
them  up  to  your  level  until  you  have  taught  them 
boldly  to  know  Christ  and  to  see  the  depravity  of 
their  nature  and  their  ways. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

One  backslider  will  do  more  harm  than  twenty 
Christian  men  can  do  good. 

W.  E.  Blackstone. 

Many  Christians  believe  in  Christ  without  belong- 
ing to  him;  they  give  Christ  their  faith,  and  with- 
hold from  him  their  fealty;  they  own  him,  but  shrink 
from  being  owned  by  him.  We  plead  for  a  service 
of  Christ  which  is  entire,  undivided,  and  wanting 
nothing.  Therefore  we  urge  upon  Christians  the 
duty  of  separation:  separation  from  associations 
that  are  secret,  that  they  may  live  an  open  life  of 
devotion  to  Christ;  separation  from  societies  that 
assess  a  tax  on  time  which  is  already  mortgaged  for 
its  full  value  to  the  Lord;  separation  from  bonds 
that  hold  men  together  by  compacts  and  oaths, 
when  they  aught  to  be  free  to  yield  with  their  full 
force  to  the  attractions  of  Christ— separation  in 
order  to  concentration.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

143 


DAY 

xrv 

Let  every  one  that  nameth  the  name  of  Christ  depart  from 
iniquity.— 2  Tim  ii,  19. 

Forsake  dangerous  associations.  Health  is  not 
contagious,  but  sickness  is.  We  quarantine  yellow 
fever  to  keep  it  out  of  the  country,  but  we  do  not 
bring  in  health  or  quarantine  it.  Sin  is  catching; 
holiness  is  not.  Be  very  careful  to  whom  you  give 
the  key  of  your  heart.  Look  out!  This  association, 
with  us  imitative  creatures,  has  a  tremendous  influ- 
ence on  a  man's  or  a  woman's  Christian  character. 
Lot  bought  real  estate  down  near  Sodom;  pitched 
his  tent  over  against  Sodom;  then  he  moved  into 
Sodom;  and  pretty  soon  Sodom  moved  into  him. 
The  angel  put  a  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  said,  "  Es- 
cape for  thy  life,  lest  thou  be  consumed."  That  is 
the  only  way  for  any  one  to  get  out  of  dangerous 
associations  in  business,  in  politics,  or  anything  else. 
Christians,  the  moment  you  find  that  you  are  in  any 
associations  that  harm  and  poison  your  piety,  escape 
out  of  that  place  as  quickly  as  Lot  hastened  out  of 
Sodom,  for  there  is  no  safety  in  remaining  there. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

Christians  call  the  Bible  the  only  rule  of  faith  and 
practice;  but  is  it  the  only  rule  of  practice?  Do 
we  take  this  Bible  when  any  question  of  doubtful 
propriety  comes  up,  and  ask  ourselves  what  the 
Bible  says  on  that  subject?  Do  we  make  the  Bible 
the  standard  of  our  life?  Do  we  take  that  Bible 
when  difficulties  arise,  and  say,  "How  does  Paul's 
teaching  or  Jesus  Christ's  teaching  bear  upon  this?  " 
Nay;  we  are  more  apt  to  be  governed  by  what  peo- 
ple will  say,  by  what  they  all  do,  and  by  what  the 
law  allows.  Francis  L.  Patton. 

144 


w^^^ 


DAY 
XV 


Woe  unto  him  that  striveth  with  his  Maker.— Isa.  xlv.  9. 

We  may  strive  with  our  Maker  in  two  ways:  we 
may  say  to  him,  "What  makest  thou?"  or  we  may 
say,  "  He  hath  no  hands."  We  may  quarrel  with 
God  as  to  the  direction  in  which  he  is  making  us, 
and  we  may  quarrel  with  God  as  to  the  method 
which  he  adopts. 

What  makest  thou  ?  "  If  thou  wouldst  make  me 
a  man  of  business  I  shouldn't  mind,  if  I  am  success- 
ful ;  but  I  do  not  wish  to  be  only  a  clerk.  Why  didst 
thou  make  me  this  way?  "  "If  thou  hadst  only  made 
me  a  Moody  I  should  thank  thee;  but  thou  hast  made 
me  a  working-man,  to  earn  my  bread  by  the  sweat 
of  my  brow;  I  don't  like  this."  What  makest  thou? 
"  I  am  a  young  girl,  and  want  to  go  to  the  zenanas 
in  India;  but  I  have  a  widowed  mother,  and  sisters 
and  brothers,  and  I  must  work  for  them.  Make  me 
something  else,  0  God;  I  am  tired  of  this.  I  will 
be  good  and  obedient  and  loving  and  sweet  if  thou 
wilt  let  me  have  my  way;  but  why  didst  thou  make 
me  this  way?  I  don't  like  it."  That  is  striving 
with  your  Maker. 

Another  man  thinks  that  God  is  doing  nothing. 
He  says,  "He  hath  no  hands."  He  thinks  that  he 
could  do  better  for  himself;  as  much  as  to  say,  "  My 
God,  thou  dost  not  understand  what  thou  art  doing; 
thou  hast  no  hands;  thou  dost  not  know  how  to  deal 
with  souls.  Not  this  way;  put  me  there,  and  I  shall 
do  better."  That  is  the  way  in  which  people,  who 
would  not  put  their  thoughts  into  those  words,  are 
nevertheless  striving  with  their  Maker. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

145 


DAY 
XVI 

We  do  not  teach  sinlessness;  for  when  a  man  is 
living  up  to  his  loftiest  ideal  there  will  always  be  a 
chasm  between  God's  ideal  and  man's  loftiest  living. 
The  man  who  boasts  about  his  sinlessness  is  the  man 
who  has  not  seen  the  perfect  standard  of  God,  and 
he  usually  calls  infirmities  what  God  calls  sins. 
We  do  not  teach  sinlessness,  but  we  do  teach  that 
God  is  able  so  to  possess  a  soul  that  it  shall  not  be 
constantly  conscious  of  failure;  and  if  there  is  any 
failure  in  your  life  it  is  because  you  have  not  ap- 
prehended God's  deliverance.  And  why?  Because 
there  is  some  one  thing  in  your  life— there  may  be 
more  than  one— which  has  come  between  God  and 
your  soul  and  which  has  shut  off  God's  helpful  grace. 
You  will  never  be  happy  and  able  to  sing  again  until 
you  are  willing  to  renounce  that  thing  and  let  God 
draw  you  closer  to  himself. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

We  often  see  a  thing  and  yet  do  not  possess  it. 
You  often  see  beautiful  fruit  displayed  behind  a 
plate-glass  window  or  in  some  shop,  and  the  hungry 
little  boys  look  and  long  for  it,  but  they  cannot  reach 
it.  If  you  were  to  tell  one  of  them  who  has  never 
seen  glass  to  take  some,  he  might  attempt  it;  but 
he  finds  something  invisible  between  him  and  that 
fruit.  Just  so  many  Christians  can  see  that  God's 
gifts  are  beautiful,  but  they  cannot  take,  because 
the  self-life  comes  in  between,  even  though  they 
cannot  see  it.  What  glorious  blessings  we  should 
have  if  we  were  only  willing  to  give  up  the  self-life 
and  take  what  God  has  prepared  for  us— not  only 
righteousness,  not  only  peace,  but  the  joy  of  the 
Holy  Ghost!  Andrew  Murray. 

146 


DAY 

xvn 

In  the  fable  of  the  magic  skin  it  gave  the  wearer 
power  to  get  anything  he  wanted;  but  every  time 
he  gratified  his  wishes  the  skin  shrank  and  com- 
pressed him  into  smaller  dimensions  until,  by  and 
by,  with  the  last  wish  life  itself  was  crushed  out. 
The  magic  skin  is  selfishness.  It  is  a  great  thing  to 
learn  to  say  no  to  one's  self  instead  of  indulging 
every  whim  and  wish,  even  though  there  be  nothing 
sinful  in  it.  Moses  renounced  the  pleasures  and 
treasures  of  Egypt  for  the  sake  of  a  higher  recom- 
pense of  reward.  There  was  no  necessary  wrong  in 
his  inheriting  the  royal  treasures  and  enjoying  the 
pleasures  of  Egypt,  so  far  as  they  were  not  in  them- 
selves sinful;  but  Moses  had  a  high  vocation,  and 
these  would  have  been  hindrances;  so  he  renounced 
them. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

All  that  there  has  been  and  ever  will  be  of  sin 
and  of  darkness  and  of  wretchedness  and  of  misery 
will  be  nothing  but  the  reign  of  self,  the  curse  of 
self,  separating  man  and  turning  him  away  from  his 
God.  If  we  are  to  understand  fully  what  Christ  is 
to  do  for  us,  and  are  to  become  partakers  of  a  full 
salvation,  we  must  learn  to  know  and  to  hate  and 
to  give  up  entirely  this  cursed  self. 

Andrew  Murray. 

You  can't  jump  away  from  your  shadow,  but  if  you 
turn  to  the  sun  your  shadow  is  behind  you,  and  if  you 
stand  under  the  sun  your  shadow  is  beneath  you. 
What  we  should  try  to  do  is  to  live  under  the  meri- 
dian Sun,  with  our  shadow,  self,  under  our  feet. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

147 


Under  the  Levitical  law  if  a  man  came  in  contact 
with  death  he  could  only  be  cleansed  from  that 
contact  by  sacrifice.  There  is,  perhaps,  a  danger  in 
some  quarters  at  the  present  day  of  the  thought 
being  accepted  that  certain  things  are  right  if  we 
do  not  feel  them  to  be  wrong— that  certain  things 
are  right  if  we  are,  so  to  speak,  unavoidably  thrown 
in  contact  with  them.  We  must  ever  bear  in  mind 
that  we  have  in  God's  will,  as  revealed  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, an  absolute  standard  of  right  and  wTong;  and 
no  ignorance  on  our  part,  or  want  of  opportunity 
on  our  part,  can  make  the  wrong  to  be  right.  If  a 
person  through  ignorance  does  that  which  is  contrary 
to  God's  revealed  will,  it  may  not  at  the  time  hinder 
communion;  but  as  soon  as  it  is  revealed  to  him  that 
the  thing  done  is  contrary  to  God's  will  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, not  as  a  misfortune,  but  as  a  sin,  and  the 
atoning  blood  must  be  upon  it  before  communion 
can  be  fully  and  satisfactorily  reestablished. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 


The  glory  of  the  Lord  cannot  stay  in  the  house 
of  man,  because  of  sin.  God  wants  a  consecrated 
temple,  a  consecrated  people.  God  is  ready  to  con- 
secrate you,  but  it  will  cost  you  something.  Are 
you  ready  for  any  sacrifice? 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

When  a  man  finds  out  that  he  can't  empty  his  own 
heart,  what  he  wants  to  do  is  just  to  let  the  water  in 
from  above.  Get  under  the  fountain  and  stay  there, 
and  there  will  be  no  trouble  about  your  being  full  to 
overflowing.  D.  L.  Moody. 

148 


^^^^ 


DAY 
XDC 


To  give  a  perfect  rule  of  life  humanity  needs  many 
things  besides  laws;  example,  experience,  mistakes, 
departures— all  are  needed.  To  safely  navigate  the 
seas  the  compass,  quadrant,  and  chronometer  are 
not  sufficient.  By  the  aid  of  these  the  mariner 
knows  which  way  to  go  and  where  he  is;  but  with- 
out the  discoveries,  mistakes,  and  disasters  of  those 
who  have  gone  before  him  he  is  in  constant  danger. 
These  mistakes  and  disasters  are  not  put  down  on 
his  chart  for  him  to  imitate  and  follow,  but  to  show 
him  where  there  is  danger  that  he  may  avoid  it;  and 
every  such  place  marked  on  his  chart  has  been  the 
scene  of  greater  or  less  disaster,  and  its  location  on 
the  chart  is  the  highest  evidence  of  honesty  and 
wisdom.  Viewed  from  this  standpoint,  the  sins  and 
mistakes  of  the  patriarchs,  related  by  inspiration, 
show  a  faithful  record  and  point  out  to  us  the  dan- 
ger by  showing  the  disastrous  results  and  telling  of 
the  condemnation  of  God;  yet  all  writers  against 
Christianity  have  used  these  departures  to  disprove 
the  inspiration  of  the  Bible.  As  well  might  they  use 
the  past  accidents  and  disasters  on  the  seas  against 
the  art  of  navigation.  They  first  ignore  the  Bible, 
then  condemn  Noah,  David,  and  Solomon  by  the 
Bible.  I.  D.  Driver. 


The  Bible  is  the  only  book  which  shows  us  what 
w^e  are— not  only  our  needs,  but  our  possibilities. 
Too  many  men  are  content  to  live  in  the  valley  or 
to  roam  about  among  the  foot-hills,  who  might  be 
climbing  upon  the  peaks  of  the  higher  Christian  ex- 
perience. John  R.  Mott. 

149 


DAY 
XX 


c^T^^^i^^^^^ 


Repent,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  For  the  promise  is  unto  you,  and  to  your 
children.— Acts  ii.  38,  39. 

What  promise  is  here  referred  to?  Ah,  it  refers 
to  this  glad  news,  the  promise  of  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  which  is  for  every  child  of  God  in  every 
age  of  the  Christian  church.  What  a  wondrous 
truth,  that  there  isn't  a  man  or  a  woman  or  a  child 
who  has  a  living,  saving  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  that 
cannot  have  the  baptism  with  the  Spirit  of  God! 
But  with  the  glorious  privilege  there  is  the  deep 
responsibility.  If  I  am  not  willing  to  pay  the  price 
and  claim  the  blessing  I  am  responsible  before  God 
for  the  work  I  might  have  done  and  did  not  do.  I 
tremble  for  myself,  and  for  my  brethren  in  the 
ministry,  and  my  brethren  in  Christian  work  in  the 
larger  ministry— not  because  they  are  preaching 
error;  but  because  they  are  preaching  the  truth, 
but  not  preaching  it  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
The  most  deadening  thing  on  earth  is  the  truth 
preached  in  the  power  of  the  flesh.  "The  letter 
killeth;  it  is  the  Spirit  that  giveth  life." 

R.  A.  TORREY. 


We  are  told  that  John  and  Peter  were  filled  in  the 
second  chapter,  and  again  in  the  fourth.  Now,  they 
had  either  lost  some  of  their  power  or  had  greater 
capacity.  If  Peter  and  John  needed  to  be  filled 
again  so  soon  after  Pentecost,  don't  you  think  you 
and  I  need  to  be  filled  again? 

D.  L.  Moody. 

150 


w^^^ 


DAY 
XXI 


If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto 
your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your  heavenly  Father  give 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him?— Luke  xi.  13. 


There  is  no  article  "the"  in  that  passage;  the 
word  is  partitive,  not  personal;  it  is  ''Holy  Spirit." 
There  is  no  doubt  that  none  of  us  have  realized  the 
fullness  of  the  possibilities  that  might  be  expected 
concerning  the  gift  or  powers  or  qualities  of  this 
"  Holy  Ghost,"  and  that  the  holiest  of  us  ^^i.\\  always 
be  conscious  of  needing  more.  It  is  one  thing  for 
me  to  ask  God  to  give  me  more  of  the  Spirit  in  my 
own  personal  enjo3Tnent;  it  is  another  thing  to  ask 
God  to  give  his  own  perfect  gift  again  from  heaven 
as  though  he  never  had  bestowed  it.  It  is  one  thing 
to  recognize  that  I  have  failed  to  take  and  to  use 
what  my  Father  has  bestowed;  it  is  another  thing 
to  charge  my  Father  with  not  having  bestowed  what 
he  says  he  has  given. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 


There  is  a  difference  between  gifts  and  graces. 
The  graces  of  the  Spirit  are  humility  and  love,  like 
the  humility  and  love  of  Christ,  and  are  to  make  a 
man  free  from  self;  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  is  to  fit  a 
man  for  work.  We  see  this  illustrated  among  the 
Corinthians.  In  the  twelfth  and  fourteenth  chapters 
we  read  that  the  gifts  of  prophecy  and  of  working 
miracles  were  in  great  power  among  them;  but  the 
graces  of  the  Spirit  were  noticeably  absent. 

Andrew  Murray. 

151 


DAY 
XXII 


<^Vt^^^^^^^ 


We  should  abandon  the  idea  that  we  are  to  use 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  accept  the  thought  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  to  use  us.  There  is  a  wide  distinction 
between  those  two  conceptions.  I  was  in  the  Chi- 
cago World's  Fair,  and  was  attracted  to  a  man 
dressed  up  in  a  very  gaudy  Oriental  costume,  who 
was  turning  with  all  his  might  a  crank  which  was 
attached  to  a  pump  from  which  a  great  stream  of 
water  was  pouring  out.  I  said,  "  That  man  is  work- 
ing hard  and  producing  splendid  results."  I  came 
near,  and,  to  my  astonishment,  found  that  the  man, 
which  was  really  only  wooden,  was  not  turning  the 
crank,  but  the  crank  was  turning  him,  and,  instead 
of  his  making  that  stream  of  water  go,  it  was  mak- 
ing him  go.  Many  people  want  the  secret  of  power. 
They  hear  about  Peter  preaching  that  wonderful 
sermon,  and  of  course  they  would  give  anything  if 
they  had  the  ability  to  preach  one  sermon  and  con- 
vert three  thousand  people.  They  say  to  Peter, 
"How  did  you  get  hold  of  the  power?"  ''I  didn't 
get  hold  of  the  pov/er  at  all,"  he  would  say;  "the 
power  got  hold  of  me."  "  We  have  preached  the 
gospel  unto  you  with"— no,  not  "with";  if  it  had 
been  translated  correctly  we  should  learn  that,  in- 
stead of  Peter  using  the  Spirit,  the  Spirit  used  him. 
"We  have  preached  the  gospel  unto  you  in  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  As  a  wheel  dips  itself 
into  the  river  and  makes  all  the  cotton  factories 
whirl,  so  Peter  dipped  into  the  Spirit  and  was  swept 
by  the  current. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 


152 


■  The  very  power  that  raised  Jesus  from  the  dead,  not- 
withstanding the  host  of  de\ils  that  opposed  him, 
and  set  him  at  the  right  hand  of  God  is  waiting  to  lift 
each  one  of  us  from  the  grave  of  sin  and  lust,  above 
the  heads  of  the  devils  that  oppose  us,  and  to  set  us  in 
heavenly  places  in  Christ.  If  man  will  only  live  in  his 
Head,  in  Christ,  the  devil  is  always  under  his  feet ;  but 
the  mistake  with  so  many  of  us  is  that  we  do  not 
maintain  our  heavenly  life,  but  by  getting  out  of 
fellowship  with  Jesus  we,  as  it  were,  get  into  the 
devil's  power  again.  If  you  and  I  would  always  live 
in  him  we  would  always  live  above. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 


Our  union  with  Christ  is  a  real  union.  Every- 
thing that  concerns  me  Christ  is  concerned  in,  and 
everything  that  concerns  Christ  I  am  concerned  in. 
The  Bible  tells  us  from  beginning  to  end  that  our 
salvation  is  not  our  own  salvation  merely,  but  that 
Jesus  Christ  may  be  glorified.  Our  pardon  shows 
his  grace;  our  sanctification  shows  his  holiness;  our 
resurrection  shows  his  power;  and  our  being  glorified 
is  to  reflect  his  glory.  It  all  concerns  him,  and  be- 
cause it  concerns  him  it  ought  to  concern  us;  and 
we  ought  to  love— oh,  how  we  ought  to  love!— his 
glorious  appearing. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 

Count  nothing  small.  The  smallest  thing  may  be 
a  link  in  the  golden  chain  which  binds  a  man  to  the 
divine  Master  himself. 

A.  F.  SCHAUFFLER. 


153 


DAY 

XXIV 

Knowing  this,  that  the  trying  of  yom-  faith  worketh  patience. 
But  let  patience  have  her  perfect  work,  that  ye  may  be  perfect 
and  entire,  wanting  nothing. — James  i.  3,  4. 

James  actually  declares  that  if  a  man  has  perfect 
patience  he  has  a  perfect  character.  I  wish  I  had 
a  voice  that  could  ring  over  our  run-mad  country 
in  this  end  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  men  are 
tumbling  over  one  another,  rushing  after  nothing  and 
finding  it.  I  would  like  to  proclaim  this  lesson :  who- 
ever has  perfect  patience  has  a  perfect  character. 

John  A.  Broadus. 

A  just  man  is  a  man  who  in  society  is  most  exact 
in  all  the  details  of  duty;  honorable  in  his  dealings; 
he  pays  all  his  debts ;  he  won't  injure  any  one.  Joseph 
of  Arimathea  was  also  a  "  good  man  ";  that  is  to  say, 
a  kind  man,  a  man  of  generous  disposition.  These 
are  the  two  characteristics  of  the  natural  man,  in  this 
case  at  least;  it  is  these  which  make  a  man  liked  by 
his  fellow-men.  Joseph  was  all  this  and  yet  not  a 
Christian.  A  man  in  his  natural  state  may  be  all 
that  Joseph  was  and  yet  be  outside  of  the  pale  of 
salvation.  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

A  friend  went  one  morning  to  Sir  Robert  Peel's 
house  and  found  him  with  a  great  bundle  of  letters 
lying  before  him,  bowed  over  it  in  prayer.  The 
friend  retired,  and  came  back  in  a  short  time  and 
said,  "I  beg  your  pardon  for  intruding  upon  your 
private  devotions."  Sir  Robert  said,  "No;  those 
were  my  public  devotions.  I  was  just  giving  the 
affairs  of  state  into  the  hands  of  God,  for  I  could 
not  manage  them."  Try  trusting  the  living  God 
with  your  letter-bag  or  your  housekeeping. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 
154 


w^^^ 


DAY 
XXV 


By  faith  Noah,  being  warned  of  God  of  things  not  seen  as  yet, 
moved  with  fear,  prepared  an  ark  to  the  saving  of  his  house.— 
Heb.  xi.  7. 

The  fear  of  God  makes  a  hero;  the  fear  of  man 
makes  a  coward.  Fear  to  do  wrong  makes  the  hero; 
fear  to  do  right  makes  the  coward.  Noah  was 
warned  of  things  not  seen  as  yet,  and  he  believed 
God's  warning.  Such  a  thing  as  a  flood  the  world 
had  never  known.  It  was  out  of  the  range  of  his 
experience ;  there  were  scores  of  arguments  against 
it;  but  God's  word  with  Noah  was  stronger  than  all 
arguments.  The  need  of  this  day  is  a  healthy  fear: 
faith  in  Sinai  with  its  thundering  of  judgment  as 
strong  as  faith  in  Calvary  with  its  whisperings  of 
love;  a  belief  in  the  words  of  Christ  about  the  worm 
that  dieth  not  as  strong  as  a  belief  in  the  mansions 
which  he  is  preparing  for  his  people. 

The  fear  of  Noah  moved  him  forward;  the  fear  of 
the  coward  moves  him  backward.  Wellington  once 
commissioned  two  soldiers  to  go  on  a  dangerous  er- 
rand. As  they  galloped  along,  one  looked  at  the 
other  and  said,  "  You  are  scared."  "  Yes,"  replied 
his  comrade;  "  and  if  you  were  scared  as  badly  as  I 
am  you  would  run."  The  brave  man  turned  his  horse, 
and,  galloping  back  to  the  general's  tent,  said,  "  Sir, 
you  have  sent  with  me  a  coward.  I  left  him  trembling 
like  a  leaf."  ^'  Well,"  said  Wellington,  "  unless  you 
return  pretty  soon  his  mission  will  be  performed." 
And,  sure  enough,  as  the  brave  man  galloped  back 
he  met  the  coward  returning,  with  the  dangerous 
work  already  done.  It  is  manly  to  fear  to  do  wrong; 
it  may  not  be  unmanly  to  tremble  in  the  presence 
of  danger  while  we  stand,  in  spite  of  our  trembling, 
at  the  post  of  duty.  A.  C.  Dixon. 

155 


DAY 
XXVI 


^^Tti^^!^^^'^^ 


Some  people  seem  to  think  that  Jerusalem  was 
built  by  men  who  desired  a  city  and  said,  "  We  will 
not  build  on  a  hill,  because  then  it  will  be  necessary 
to  carry  the  stone  and  timber  up.  We  will  get  a 
smooth,  level  country  down  in  the  valley,  and  there 
build  a  beautiful  city,  and  we  mil  have  a  temple  in 
the  midst  of  it,  and  then  when  it  is  done  we  will  get 
together  and  pray,  '  0  Lord,  we  have  built  a  city; 
we  have  built  it  in  a  plain,  because  it  was  easier; 
now,  Lord,  please  lift  up  the  ground  and  make  a 
hill  of  it;  "  So  the  Lord  did  it.  Then  they  prayed, 
"  Now,  Lord,  please  pile  the  mountains  around  us  for 
our  defense."     So  the  Lord  did  that  also. 

What  are  the  facts?  These  people  wanted  a  city, 
and  they  said,  "It  is  best  that  this  city  should  be 
on  a  hill.  We  will  build  where  God  has  laid  the 
foundation.  It  will  be  hard  to  get  the  stone  up, 
hard  to  get  the  timber  up;  but  we  will  do  it."  It 
makes  all  the  difference  in  the  world  whether  you 
lay  your  plans  and  ask  God  to  prosper  them,  or  give 
your  life  to  God,  and  let  him  make  the  plans,  and 
then  carry  out  his  own  plans.  I  fear  that  quite  a 
proportion  of  the  prayers  of  good  people  is  really, 
"  0  Lord,  my  will  be  done."  Did  you  pray  this  morn- 
ing that  God  would  bless  you  in  something  that  you 
had  made  up  your  mind  to  do  ?  You  ought  to  have 
said,  "  Here,  Lord,  lies  before  me  this  strange,  new 
day;  I  never  saw  it — nobody  ever  saw  it.  Here  am 
I;  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?"  God  will  never 
move  the  mountains  around  a  selfish  man ;  you  must 
put  your  house  where  God  put  the  mountains  before 
he  put  you  into  the  world;  put  your  life  where  God 
has  put  the  plan  and  purpose  of  your  life. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

156 


^#>^^ 


DAY 

xxvn 


Christ  died  that  he  might  make  us  a  "peculiar 
people."  A  great  many  Christians  are  afraid  that 
they  will  be  peculiar.  A  few  weeks  before  Enoch 
was  translated  his  acquaintances  would  probably 
have  said  he  was  a  little  peculiar;  they  would  have 
told  you  that  when  they  had  a  progressive-euchre 
party  and  the  whole  country-side  was  invited,  you 
wouldn't  find  Enoch  or  one  of  his  family  there.  He 
was  very  peculiar,  very.  We  are  not  told  he  was  a 
warrior  or  a  great  scientist  or  a  great  scholar.  In 
fact,  we  are  not  told  he  was  anything  that  the  world 
would  call  great,  but  he  walked  with  God  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  years,  and  he  is  the  brightest 
star  that  shone  in  that  dispensation.  If  he  could 
walk  with  God,  cannot  you  and  I?  As  old  Dr.  Bonar 
has  said,  "  He  took  a  long  walk  one  day,  and  has  not 
come  back  yet.  The  Lord  liked  his  company  so  well 
that  he  said,  '  Enoch,  come  up  higher.' "  We  shall 
find  him  up  there  som.e  day. 

I  suppose  that  if  you  had  asked  the  men  in  Eli- 
jah's time  what  kind  of  a  man  he  was,  they  would 
have  said,  *'  He  is  very  peculiar."  The  king  would 
say,  "I  hate  him."  Jezebel  didn't  like  him;  the 
v/hole  royal  court  didn't  like  him,  and  a  great  many 
of  the  nominal  Christians  didn't  like  him;  he  was 
too  radical.  I  am  glad  the  Lord  had  seven  thou- 
sand that  had  not  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal;  but  I 
would  rather  have  Elijah's  little  finger  than  the 
whole  seven  thousand.  I  wouldn't  give  much  for 
seven  thousand  Christians  in  hiding.  They  will  just 
barely  get  into  heaven;  they  won't  have  any  crown. 
See  that  "  no  man  take  thy  crown."  Be  willing  to 
be  one  of  Christ's  peculiar  people,  no  matter  what 
men  may  say  of  you.  D.  L.  Moody. 

157 


DAY 

xxvm 

Thou,  0  Lord,  art  a  shield  for  me;  my  glory,  and  the  lifter  up 
of  mine  head.— Ps.  iii.  3. 

I  like  that  last  expression— "Lifter  up  of  my 
head."  There  is  your  child,  my  good  mother,  and 
your  child  has  been  bad,  and  you  have  chastised  it. 
You  have  put  the  poor  little  bundle  of  wretched- 
ness and  crossness  into  a  corner,  and  there  it  is 
standing  soiling  all  its  face  with  hot,  scalding  tears. 
Then  your  heart  relents;  the  extreme  of  misery  tells 
upon  you,  for  you  are  its  mother.  And  you  come 
toward  the  little  thing,  and  it  creeps  into  the  corner 
and  hangs  its  head.  And  what  do  you  do?  In- 
stead of  chastising  it  any  more,  you  come  quite 
close,  and  with  one  hand  on  the  little  one's  shoulder, 
you  put  the  other  hand  below  its  chin,  and  literally 
you  lift  up  the  little  face  into  the  light  of  your  own, 
and  stoop  down  and  kiss  it.  Did  you  ever  think  that 
that  is  what  God  wants  to  do  with  the  poor  weary 
sinner  who  has  gone  back  and  done  shamefully? 
When  fears  are  on  every  side,  and  awful  voices  in 
your  heart  speak  ominously  of  eternal  doom,  God 
comes,  and  with  his  own  gracious  hand  lifts  up  your 
head.  He  anoints  and  cheers  your  soiled  face;  he 
lifts  up  your  head,  and  lets  the  light  of  his  own 
reconciled  countenance  beam  down  upon  you. 

John  McNeill. 

If  we  were  to  believe  in  the  survival  of  the  fittest 
there  would  not  be  much  chance  for  some  of  us. 
But  the  glory  of  the  gospel  is  this,  that  God  comes 
to  the  unfit,  to  the  marred  and  spoiled,  to  those  who 
have  thwarted  and  resisted  him,  and  that  he  is  pre- 
pared to  make  them  over  again;  and  if  you  will  let 
him  he  will  make  you  too.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

158 


DAY 
XXIX 

According  as  he  hath  chosen  us  in  him  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world,  that  we  should  be  holy  and  without  blame  before 
him  in  love.— Eph.  i.  4. 

Christians,  claim  your  full  privileges.  In  tempo- 
ral things  men  are  beginning  to  do  this.  Suppose 
that  the  son  and  heir  of  some  wealthy  deceased  man 
were  told  by  certain  trustees  that  he  was  left  with 
only  three  or  four  hundred  dollars  a  year,  and  that 
the  rest  was  left  in  their  hands  in  trust;  he  would 
go  along  on  that  three  or  four  hundred  dollars  only 
so  long  as  he  was  obliged  to.  Some  one  tells  him 
that  the  whole  fortune  is  left  to  him,  and  he  goes 
to  some  la\vyer's  office  and  asks  to  see  his  father's 
will.  As  he  reads  the  will  the  whole  truth  comes 
out,  and  he  says,  "  I  have  been  living  on  three  hun- 
dred dollars  a  year  when  I  have  a  hundred  thousand. 
I  am  going  to  come  into  possession  of  what  I  have, 
and  live  proportionately  to  my  wealth."  Thousands 
of  us  are  yet  living  on  two  or  three  hundred  dollars 
that  might  live  on  the  exceeding  riches  of  God's 
glory.  M.  E.  Baldwin. 

The  beautiful  trees  and  green  grass  and  the 
bright  sun  God  created  that  they  might  show  forth 
his  beauty  and  wisdom  and  glory.  When  that  tree, 
one  hundred  years  old,  was  planted,  God  did  not 
give  it  a  stock  of  life  in  which  it  could  carry  on 
its  existence.  Nay,  verily.  God  clothes  the  lilies 
every  year  afresh  with  their  beauty;  every  year  he 
clothes  the  tree  with  its  foliage  and  its  fruit;  every 
day  and  every  hour  it  is  God  who  maintains  the  life 
of  all  nature.  God  created  us  that  we  might  be  the 
empty  vessels  in  which  he  could  work  out  his  beauty, 
his  will,  his  love,  and  the  likeness  of  his  blessed 
Son.  Andrew  Murray. 

159 


DAY 
XXX 

The  accidental  miracles  of  our  Lord  are  among 
the  most  remarkable— those  that,  as  it  were,  he 
spilled  over  by  the  way.  While  he  was  on  his  way 
to  do  one  miracle  he  dropped  another,  almost  as  if 
he  didn't  intend  it.  He  was  going  to  heal  the 
daughter  of  Jairus  when  the  woman  with  an  issue 
of  blood  reached  out  her  hand,  touched  the  hem  of 
his  garment,  and  was  healed.  When  an  electric  jar 
is  filled,  only  a  touch  will  unload  it.  So  it  might  be 
in  the  experience  of  every  believer.  I  do  not  know 
but  that,  if  we  were  fully  the  Lord's,  the  greater 
part  of  the  good  we  did  would  be  that  of  which  we 
were  not  cognizant.   Service  would  overflow  from  us. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

If  you  are  abiding  in  Christ  you  are  reproducing 
yourself  in  thousands  of  instances  when  you  are 
wholly  unaware  of  it.  Out  of  the  personal  relation- 
ship between  the  soul  and  Christ  come  the  fruits  of 
holy  living.  The  vine  does  not  bear  fruit  of  itself; 
it  bears  its  fruit  through  the  branches.  Our  un- 
conscious influence  thus  becomes  far  more  fruitful 
than  our  conscious  influence.  In  the  last  great  day 
many  will  bewail  that  they  have  accomplished  so 
little,  and,  looking  at  the  scanty  results,  will  say, 
"  When  saw  we  thee  hungry,  and  fed  thee  ?  or  athirst, 
and  gave  thee  drink?"  to  find  that  unconsciously 
their  lives  had  abounded  in  fruits  well  pleasing  in 
the  Master's  sight.  It  is  from  such  holy  lives  as 
this  that  is  derived  our  Master's  highest  joy.  It  is 
when  the  whole  body  of  Christ  becomes  instinct  with 
his  spirit  that  the  world  is  made  conscious  of  his 
divine  headship  over  the  church. 

Bishop  Hendrix, 

160 


^^^^^M^^^^ 


DAY 
XXXI 


If  you  go  into  a  dark  room  filled  with  vermin  you 
cannot  see  anything;  but  if  you  light  a  match,  you 
see  some  crawling  creatures;  if  you  light  a  lamp 
you  see  more;  and  if  you  turn  on  an  electric  light 
it  reveals  the  good  and  the  evil  in  sharp  contrast. 
"That  which  doth  make  manifest  is  light,"  and 
Christians  are  to  be  lights  in  the  world.  When  the 
Christian  holds  up  his  light,  men  are  able  to  see 
good  and  evil.  The  church  establishes  the  moral 
standard  for  men  who  never  go  near  it  and  for  com- 
munities who  reject  it. 

Charles  A.  Blanchard. 

A  candle  that  won't  shine  in  one  room  is  very  un- 
likely to  shine  in  another.  If  you  do  not  shine  at 
home,  if  your  father  and  mother,  your  sister  and 
brother,  if  the  very  cat  and  dog  in  the  house  are 
not  the  better  and  happier  for  your  being  a  Chris- 
tian, it  is  a  question  whether  you  really  are  one. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 

Whatever  rest  is  provided  by  Christianity  for  the 
children  of  God,  it  is  certainly  never  contemplated 
that  it  should  supersede  personal  effort.  And  any 
rest  which  ministers  to  indifference  is  immoral  and 
unreal— it  makes  parasites,  and  not  men. 

Henry  Drummond. 

Let  the  engineer  pull  out  the  throttle  and  play 
cards,  let  the  pilot  of  a  steamer  in  a  hurricane  im- 
merse himself  in  a  novel,  but  let  not  the  watchman 
of  the  Lord  be  anything  but  awake  and  in  dead 
earnest,  when  all  around  imm.ortal  souls  are  in  death- 
grapple  with  their  great  enemy.    Cyrus  D.  Foss. 

161 


Dying  with  Jesus,  his  death  reckoned  mine; 
Living  with  Jesus,  a  new  life  divine; 
Looking  to  Jesus  till  glory  doth  shine. 
Moment  by  moment,  0  Lord,  I  am  thine. 

Moment  by  moment  I'm  kept  in  his  love; 
Moment  by  moment  I've  life  from  above; 
Looking  to  Jesus  till  glory  doth  shine, 
Moment  by  moment,  0  Lord,  I  am  thine. 

Never  a  trial  that  he  is  not  there, 
Never  a  burden  that  he  doth  not  bear. 
Never  a  sorrow  that  he  doth  not  share; 
Moment  by  moment  I'm  under  his  care. 

Never  a  heartache  and  never  a  groan, 
Never  a  tear-drop  and  never  a  moan. 
Never  a  danger,  but  there  on  the  throne 
Moment  by  moment  he  thinks  of  his  own. 

Never  a  weakness  that  he  doth  not  feel. 
Never  a  sickness  that  he  cannot  heal; 
Moment  by  moment,  in  woe  or  in  weal, 
Jesus,  my  Saviour,  abides  with  me  still. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 


162 


[Mouth  of  June 

7(oscs 
Francis  L   Vat  Ion  EiU  ranee  lo  Lovers'  Retreat 


up 


Bias  of  mind  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  conclu- 
sion which  a  man  reaches;  we  have  to  recognize  this 
sometimes  to  explain  men's  manner  of  dealing  with 
gospel  evidence.  It  is  exactly  as  our  Saviour  said : "  If 
they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will 
they  be  persuaded,  though  one  rose  from  the  dead." 
If  the  trouble  had  been  a  lack  of  evidence,  then  more 
evidence  would  have  helped  them.  But  there  was  a 
lack  of  something  else.  And  when  that  is  the  case 
more  evidence  does  no  good.  You  cannot  cure  a  man's 
eyes  by  operating  on  his  ears.  We  understand  that. 
Here  is  a  president  of  a  bank;  he  has  his  books  and 
his  securities,  and  he  locks  up  his  safe  and  sets  the 
time-lock  for  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  of  the 
next  day.  He  goes  home  and  thinks  of  something 
he  would  like  to  get  out  of  the  vault.  He  goes  down 
to  the  bank,  but  he  cannot  open  the  vault.  He  has 
the  combination;  he  may  be  president  and  cashier 
and  stock-holder  and  director  all  in  one,  but  he  can- 
not open  that  vault  until  ten  o'clock  next  day.  If 
he  could  only  get  inside,  or  if  there  were  only  some- 
body inside  that  he  could  talk  to  and  tell  him  to 
change  the  adjustment,  all  that  he  would  want  then 
would  be  knowledge  of  the  combination.  But  he 
cannot  open  it.  That  is  what  I  think  is  really  needed 
in  men.  They  need  some  one  to  change  them  within 
—what  we  call  regeneration.  We  may  accumulate 
argument,  and  pound  at  men  with  the  presentation 
of  the  truth  objectively;  but  we  won't  do  very  much 
until  the  hour  strikes  for  the  soul's  release,  and  when 
the  Spirit  does  his  work  then  the  combination  comes 
into  play,  and  men  yield  to  the  power  of  entreaty  and 
respond  to  the  presentation  of  evidence  and  argu- 
ment. Francis  L.  Patton. 

163 


DAY 

n 

Have  ye  received  the  Holy  Ghost  since  ye  believed? — Acts 
xix.  2. 

E^ddently  there  is  a  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
over  and  beyond  that  which  first  brings  us  to  believe 
in  Jesus.  Therefore  I  put  it  to  you,  in  all  earnest- 
ness, hast  thou  received  thy  share  in  thy  Father's 
gift  ?  If  not,  it  is  waiting  for  thee  to-day  in  the  hands 
of  the  living  Saviour,  and  thou  hast  but  to  claim  it 
and  it  will  be  thine. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

The  filling  with  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Spirit  of  God 
coming  upon  the  believer,  taking  possession  of  his 
faculties,  imparting  to  him  gifts  not  naturally  his 
own,  but  which  qualify  him  for  the  service  to  which 
God  has  called  him. 

R.  A.  TORREY. 

What,  then,  shall  we  do  to  be  filled?  What  did 
they  do  in  the  days  of  Hezekiah,  when  the  temple 
had  had  all  kinds  of  iniquity  and  filth  brought  into 
it?  The  priests  came  and  purged  out  all  the  filth  that 
they  found,  and  cast  it  into  the  brook  Kidron.  What 
did  they  do  in  Nehemiah's  day,  when  Tobiah  had  filled 
God's  chambers  with  household  stuff?  The  prophet 
cast  it  all  forth  out  of  the  Lord's  house.  What  did 
the  Lord  Jesus  do  when  the  temple  was  filled  with 
money-changers  and  sellers  of  merchandise?  He 
made  a  scourge  of  small  cords  and  drove  them  all  out. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

A  revelation  of  Christ  by  the  Spirit  to  our  souls 
must  precede  our  being  filled  by  Christ  with  the 
Spirit. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 

164 


DAY 

m 

He  that  believeth  on  me,  as  the  Scripture  hath  said,  out  of  his 
belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water. — John  vii.  38. 

There  is  a  promise  to  test.  Do  you  believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  giver  of  this  full  blessing? 
It  does  not  mean,  "  He  that  believeth  on  me  for  the 
pardon  of  his  sins,"  because  there  are  many  persons 
who  are  pardoned  and  who  have  not  this  fullness  of 
blessing— you  can  see  that  rivers  of  living  water  do 
not  rush  out  from  them.  But  it  is,  "He  that  be- 
lieveth on  me  as  the  giver  of  the  fullness  of  the 
Spirit."  Look  also  at  that  other  passage,  "  Whoso- 
ever drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall 
never  thirst."  I  accept  that  promise.  I  do  believe 
that  I  shall  never  thirst  again.  I  do  believe  that  from 
me— poor  little  me— rivers  shall  flow^,  rivers  of  living 
water;  and  God  shall  be  glorified. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 

Since  it  pleased  the  Father  that  in  Jesus  all  full- 
ness should  dwell,  and  it  pleases  Jesus  and  the  Father, 
and  the  Spirit  too,  that  all  poor  sinners  who  believe 
in  Jesus  shall  be  branches  in  him,  incorporated  into 
him— since  he  assumed  the  connection  and  the  posi- 
tion of  a  root  to  his  branches,  God  has  no  chance  to 
show  himself  out  if  it  be  not  through  his  people.  Oh, 
think  what  a  glorious  company  we  shall  be  by  and 
by,  when  all  the  fullness  in  Jesus  Christ  shall  be  ex- 
pressed. Then  again,  just  as  if  you  take  away  the 
branches  from  the  root  it  cannot  express  itself,  so 
if  you  take  away  the  root  from  the  branches  they 
must  wither  and  die.  The  branches  depend  on  the 
root  for  their  very  life,  and  without  the  branches  the 
root  cannot  be  manifested— there  can  be  no  expres- 
sion of  its  nature  but  through  the  branches. 

Marcus  Rainsford. 

165 


DAY 
IV 

Our  Lord's  great  lesson  in  John  xv.  is  about  the 
vine  and  its  branches.  He  says,  "  I  am  the  vine,  ye 
are  the  branches."  If  you  look  at  the  branches  of 
a  vine,  you  observe  that  the  bark  is  the  same,  the 
leaves  are  the  same,  and  the  fruit  is  the  same.  There 
is  the  closest  resemblance  between  the  branches  and 
the  vine.  Some  Christians  reduce  your  spiritual 
temiperature  to  zero.  They  have  comparatively  little 
or  no  spirituality,  and,  worse,  they  are  worldly.  If 
I  brought  you  a  slip  of  a  log,  and  said  I  had  found 
it  growing  on  a  vine,  you  would  say,  "  I  think  there 
is  a  mistake;  this  is  oak,  the  leaves  are  ragged  like 
those  of  an  oak.  We  are  not  accustomed  to  see  that 
kind  of  branch  on  a  vine."  I  can  believe  that  that 
oak  grew  on  a  vine  before  I  can  believe  that  some 
men  and  women  that  I  have  met  grow  on  Jesus  Christ. 

M.  E.  Baldwin. 

A  man  standing  erect  on  the  earth  breathes  air 
of  a  purer  quality  than  that  breathed  by  the  insects 
that  crawl  at  his  feet;  so  the  man  risen  with  Christ 
should  stand  erect,  as  a  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus,  and 
breathe  the  air  of  heaven. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 

Make  Christ  your  most  constant  companion.  Be 
more  under  his  influence  than  under  any  other  influ- 
ence. Ten  minutes  spent  in  his  society  every  day- 
aye,  two  minutes,  if  it  be  face  to  face  and  heart  to 
heart— will  make  the  whole  day  different.  Every 
character  has  an  inward  spring;  let  Christ  be  that 
spring.  Every  action  has  a  key-note;  let  Christ  be 
that  note  to  which  your  whole  life  is  attuned. 

Henry  Drummond. 

166 


"^-  ^  <^h€'^p^         ^^^ 


Israel  passed  through  two  stages— two  parts  of 
God's  work  of  redemption:  God  brought  them  out 
from  Egypt  that  he  might  bring  them  into  Canaan. 
This  is  applicable  to  every  believer.  At  conversion 
God  brought  you  out  of  Egypt;  and  the  same  Al- 
mighty God  is  longing  to  bring  you  into  the  Canaan 
life.  God  brought  the  Israelites  out,  but  they  would 
not  let  him  bring  them  in;  so  they  were  obliged  to 
wander  for  forty  years  in  the  wilderness— the  type, 
alas!  of  so  many  Christians.  The  wilderness  life  is 
wandering  backward  and  forward;  going  after  the 
world,  and  coming  back  and  repenting;  led  astray  by 
temptation,  and  returning,  only  to  go  off  again— a 
life  of  ups  and  downs.  In  Canaan,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  a  life  of  rest,  because  the  soul  has  learned  to  trust. 
A  second  difference  is  that  one  was  a  life  of  want, 
the  other  a  life  of  plenty.  In  the  wilderness  God 
graciously  supplied  their  wants  by  the  manna  and 
the  water  from  the  rock.  But  alas!  they  were  not 
content,  and  their  life  was  one  of  want  and  of  mur- 
muring. But  in  Canaan  God  gave  them  a  land  flowing 
with  milk  and  honey,  a  land  nourished  by  the  rain 
of  heaven,  and  which  had  the  very  care  of  God  him- 
self. Oh,  believe  that  there  is  a  possibility  of  such 
a  change  for  you,  a  way  out  of  that  life  of  spiritual 
want  and  complaining,  into  the  land  of  supply  of 
every  want!  A  third  difference  is  that  in  the 
wilderness  there  was  no  lasting  victory.  In  Canaan 
they  conquered  every  enemy.  So  God  w^aits  to  give, 
not  freedom  from  temptation,  but  victory  every  day. 
You  desire  an  entrance  into  the  life  of  rest  and  vic- 
tory; then  in  the  stillness  of  your  heart  say,  "My 
God,  I  believe  there  is  such  a  life  prepared  for  me 
and  within  my  reach."  Andrew  Murray. 

167 


DAY 
VI 

There  are  many,  very  many,  Christians  who  are 
afraid  of  making  an  unreserved  surrender  to  God. 
They  are  afraid  that  God  will  ask  some  hard  thing 
of  them,  or  some  absurd  thing.  They  fear  sometimes 
that  it  will  upset  all  their  life-plans.  In  a  word,  they 
are  afraid  to  surrender  unreservedly  to  the  will  of 
God,  for  him  to  do  all  he  wishes  to  for  them  and 
whatsoever  he  wills  with  them.  Friends,  the  will  of 
God  concerning  us  is  not  only  the  wisest  and  best 
thing  in  the  world;  it  is  also  the  tenderest  and  sweet- 
est. God's  will  for  us  is  not  only  more  loving  than 
a  father's;  it  is  more  tender  than  a  mother's.  It  is 
true  that  God  does  oftentimes  revolutionize  utterly 
our  life-plans  when  we  surrender  ourselves  to  his  will. 
It  is  true  that  he  does  require  of  us  things  that  to 
others  seem  hard.  But  when  the  will  is  once  sur- 
rendered the  revolutionized  life-plans  become  just 
the  plans  that  are  most  pleasant,  and  the  things  that 
to  others  seem  hard  are  just  the  things  that  are 
easiest  and  most  delightful.  Do  not  let  Satan  deceive 
you  into  being  afraid  of  God's  plans  for  your  life. 

R.  A.  TORREY. 

When  a  ship  is  moored  at  a  dock  and  is  ready  to 
start,  the  order  is  given,  "Let  go!"  Then  the  last 
rope  is  loosened  and  the  steamer  moves.  There  are 
things  that  tie  us  to  earth  and  to  the  self -life;  but 
to-day  the  message  comes,  "  If  thou  wouldst  die  with 
Jesus,  let  go!"  Jesus  carried  the  penitent  thief 
through  death  to  life.  The  thief  knew  not  where  he 
was  going,  but  Jesus,  the  mighty  conqueror,  took  him 
in  his  arms  and  landed  him  in  Paradise  in  his  igno- 
rance. If  you  cannot  understand  all  about  this  cru- 
cifixion with  Christ,  never  mind;  trust  the  Lord's 
promise.  Andrew  Murray. 

168 


DAY 

vn 

When  a  heavy  morning  mist  veils  the  beautiful 
valley  and  hills,  the  landscape  is  shut  out  from  our 
vision.  But  suddenly  there  comes  a  breath,  or  the 
sun's  rays;  the  mist  parts,  and  the  magnificent  sce- 
nery stands  unveiled.  So  God  often  parts  the  mist 
that  hides  the  future,  and  shows  what  a  man  m.ay  be. 
Young  people  especially,  seek  from  God  the  vision  of 
what  your  life  may  be,  and  then  follow  out  that  reve- 
lation, because  when  you  catch  God's  vision  you  will 
always  find  him  responsible  for  the  outworking  of  it. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

A  sculptor  has  many  models  from  which  he  chisels 
various  statues,  though  one  may  be  his  masterpiece. 
But  when  I  come  into  the  Lord's  studio  I  find  only 
one  design:  that  we  should  be  made  in  the  likeness 
of  Jesus  Christ.  "  Whom  he  did  foreknow,  he  also 
did  predestinate  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of 
his  Son."  If  you  should  go  to  the  kingdom  of  glory 
to-day,  and  open  the  great  book  of  God,  and  should 
find  your  own  name  there,  after  that  name  you  would 
find  written  these  words:  "To  be  conformed  to  the 
image  of  my  dear  Son."  Not  the  image  of  Paul, 
however  grand;  not  that  of  any  sanctified  man  that 
we  may  meet  in  our  pilgrimage  here;  but  that  of  the 
dear  Lord,  that  Holy  One.  You  may  say  that  the 
materials  of  your  heart  are  vicious,— and  they  are 
not  single  in  that,— but  be  assured  that,  if  Thorwald- 
sen  could  not  make  a  masterpiece  of  art  out  of  loose 
sandstone,  God  can  make  a  being  that  will  shine  like 
a  star  before  his  throne  out  of  the  poor,  weary,  bur- 
dened sinners  that  his  grace  calls  to  the  hallowed 
feet  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  materials  form  no  obstruc- 
tion to  that  heavenly  architect. 

M.  E.  Baldwin. 

169 


DAY 

vm 

For  what  are  you  living?  Are  your  pursuits 
bounded  by  the  narrow  horizon  of  earth  and  limited 
to  the  fleeting  moments  of  time  ?  Are  you  constantly 
engaged  in  lining  as  warmly  as  possible  the  nest  in 
which  you  hope  to  spend  old  age  and  die?  Are  you 
perpetually  seeking  to  make  the  best  of  this  world  ? 
I  fear  that  these  are  the  real  aims  of  many  profess- 
ing Christians;  and  if  so,  it  is  simply  useless  for  them 
to  claim  kinship  with  that  stream  of  pilgrims  which 
is  constantly  pouring  through  the  earth,  bound  to 
the  city  which  hath  foundations,  their  home  and 
mother  city.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

Our  choice  in  life  must  be  a  cubic  choice.  It  must 
have  three  dimensions.  First,  it  must  be  very  high 
—as  high  as  I  can  reach  with  my  life.  Next,  it 
must  be  very  broad,  covering  all  the  powers  of  my 
life— mind,  voice,  hands,  feet.  And  then  it  must  be 
very  long— run  out  seventy  years,  if  that  be  the  sum 
of  my  days  on  earth.  I  cannot  afford  to  swap  horses 
in  the  middle  of  the  stream.  I  cannot  afford  to  change 
my  choice  at  thirty  or  forty.  We  are  to  make  our 
choice  the  highest,  the  broadest,  and  the  longest 
possible.  This  is  to  be  our  aim:  that  the  life  of 
Christ  in  us  shall  be  and  do  what  the  life  of  Christ 
was  and  did  in  himself.  We  are  so  to  live  that  our 
life  shall  repeat  the  life  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

Some  of  the  maxims  of  the  ungodly  are  very  good 
when  they  are  properly  interpreted.  An  example 
may  be  found  in  the  maxim,  "  Take  care  of  number 
one."  Who  is  number  one?  The  ungodly  man  says, 
"  I  am  number  one."  But  God  is  number  one.  Take 
care  of  God's  interests  first,  and  he  will  look  after 
yours.  J.  Hudson  Taylor. 

170 


DAY 
IX 


A  soldier  was  once  posted  in  a  forest  to  watch  for 
the  approach  of  Indians.  It  was  a  position  of  pecu- 
liar danger,  three  different  men  having  been  surprised 
and  killed  at  this  post  without  having  had  time  to 
fire  a  shot.  The  soldier  was  left  with  strict  orders 
to  observe  the  utmost  vigilance.  In  a  short  time 
an  object  moving  among  the  trees  at  some  distance 
caught  his  eye.  He  watched  it  attentively,  with  gun 
ready,  until,  as  it  came  a  little  nearer,  he  saw  it  to 
be  a  wild  hog.  Another  came  in  sight.  He  satisfied 
himself  it  was  a  mid  hog,  rooting  under  the  leaves. 
Presently  in  another  direction  the  leaves  were  rus- 
tled, and  a  third  wild  hog  appeared.  Being  now 
used  to  these  creatures,  he  paid  but  little  attention. 
The  movements  of  the  last  animal,  however,  soon 
engaged  the  mean's  thoughts.  He  observed  a  slight 
awkwardness  in  the  movements  of  this  one,  and 
thought  that  possibly  an  Indian  might  be  approach- 
ing him  covered  with  a  hog's  skin.  If  it  was  an 
Indian  the  safest  thing  was  to  shoot.  If  it  was  not 
an  Indian,  and  he  should  shoot,  he  would  run  no  risk. 
He  raised  his  rifle  and  fired.  With  a  bound  and  a 
yell,  an  Indian  leaped  to  his  feet  and  fell  back  dead. 
The  man  had  saved  his  life,  and  prevented  the  sur- 
prise of  the  garrison,  by  his  watchfulness.  So  the 
child  of  God  must  be  ever  on  the  alert  and  guarded 
against  the  approaches  of  the  Evil  One.  Draw  the 
Word  of  God  upon  every  object  that  approaches  you 
in  this  dark  world  of  sin.  If  the  devil  is  in  it,  you 
may  be  sure  the  Word  will  expose  him.  Stripped  of 
his  disguise,  he  will  howl  and  will  leave  you.  In  the 
name  of  Christ  we  can  ever  have  the  victory.  With- 
out Christ,  and  in  our  own  strength  or  wisdom,  we 
shall  suffer  defeat.  D.  W.  Whittle. 

171 


DAY 

X 

Did  you  ever  notice  that  when  some  of  the  strong- 
est men  in  the  Bible  failed  they  almost  always  failed 
on  the  strongest  point  of  their  character?  Elijah 
was  noted  for  his  boldness,  and  Jezebel  scared  him 
out  of  his  wits.  Moses  was  renowned  for  his  meek- 
ness, humility,  and  gentleness;  yet  he  became  angry 
and  killed  that  Egjrptian;  he  was  angry  and  said, 
"Must  I  bring  water  out  of  this  rock,  ye  rebels?" 
God  kept  him  out  of  the  Promised  Land  because  he 
lost  his  tem^per.  If  you  think  you  are  meek,  it  is  a 
good  sign  that  you  are  not.  Peter  was  one  of  the 
boldest  of  all  the  disciples,  but  when  one  little  maid 
looked  at  him  and  said,  "You  are  one  of  his  disciples," 
he  began  to  curse  and  to  swear  and  to  say  that  he 
was  not,  and  down  he  fell.  John  and  James  were 
noted  for  their  meekness  and  gentleness,  and  yet 
they  wanted  to  call  fire  down  from  heaven  to  con- 
sume a  town  in  Samaria.  Do  you  not  see  that  man 
is  a  complete  failure  away  from  God?  But  he  that 
is  in  you  is  greater  than  he  that  is  in  the  world. 
When  Jesus  Christ  on  the  cross  said,  "  It  is  finished," 
it  was  the  shout  of  a  conqueror.  He  had  fought  and 
overcome  the  world.  Now  if  I  have  Christ  in  me,  I 
will  overcome  the  world,  and  if  I  have  not  it  is  the 
height  of  madness  for  me  to  undertake  to  overcome. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

The  men  that  have  redeemed  human  history,  and 
stood  like  lighthouses  on  the  dark  and  stormy  prom- 
ontories of  life,  casting  out  healing  rays  and  saving 
beams  through  the  dark  waters,  have  been  men  that 
got  their  enthusiasm  for  humanity  out  of  the  cross 
— men  whose  motto  was,  "The  love  of  Christ  con- 
straineth  me."  M.  D.  HoGE. 

172 


DAY 
XI 

Christians  do  not  know  how  much  they  rob  Christ 
by  reading  what  literature  they  choose.  Bring  your 
mind  to  the  feet  of  Jesus.  Then  there  is  the  whole 
outer  life:  your  relation  to  society,  your  home  life, 
your  money,  your  time,  and  your  business.  Put 
everything  in  the  hands  of  Jesus. 

Andrew  Murray. 

You  never  can  drive  out  the  uncleanness  of  evil 
thoughts  except  by  pouring  in  the  clean  wholesome- 
ness  of  the  thoughts  of  Christ.  Have  you  made 
Christ  for  any  length  of  time  the  one  object  of  your 
thought?  Try  it,  you  men  who  want  to  break  loose 
from  the  shackles  that  you  know  are  keeping  you 
away  from  the  great  blessing  of  God  and  from  the 
pure  sweetness  of  his  free  and  holy  life.  What  else 
is  there  to  think  about  that  is  worth  anything,  com- 
pared with  him  ?  All  treasures  of  wisdom  and  know- 
ledge are  hidden  in  him.  How  it  must  grieve  him, 
who,  though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  became 
poor,  to  see  us  filling  our  minds  with  passing  things, 
worthless  things,  dying  after  the  fashion  of  the  world, 
while  Christ  is  crowded  away  into  some  bare  and 
paltry  place  in  our  lives!  Oh,  that  we  might  learn 
to  make  Jesus,  and  Jesus  only,  the  object  of  all  our 
thinking!  If  we  did,  how  we  w^ould  lose  taste  for 
much  that  pleases  us  no^v!  How  music,  that  perhaps 
takes  a  large  place  in  our  hearts  now,  would  be  put 
into  a  subordinate  place !  How  the  taste  for  certain 
classes  of  books  or  of  studies  or  certain  lines  of 
thought  would  vanish  into  an  insignificant  place  the 
moment  we  gave  to  Jesus  Christ  the  place  to  which 
he  is  entitled  in  our  thinking! 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

173 


DAY 

xn 

Walk  in  the  Spirit,  and  ye  shall  not  fulfil  the  lust  of  the  flesh. 
-Gal.  V.  16. 


I  do  not  believe  that  that  passage  is  meant  to  be 
done  away  with  by  the  Christian.  I  have  heard  it 
said,  "  I  pity  St.  Paul  when  he  wrote  that;  he  was  in 
a  low,  groveling  experience."  Nay,  brethren;  the 
lust  of  the  flesh  is  in  all  men  to  the  last.  If  a  man 
says  that  he  is  delivered  from  the  flesh  so  that  it 
has  no  longer  any  existence  in  his  experience,  he  is 
contradicting  God's  holy  Word.  The  flesh  is  there, 
and  what  is  the  Christian  to  do  ?  "  Walk  in  the  Spirit, 
and  ye  shall  not  fulfil  the  lust  of  the  flesh."  The 
flesh  is  lusting  against  the  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit 
against  the  flesh,  and  you  are  between  the  two.  The 
question  is,  To  which  are  you  going  to  yield?  Walk 
in  the  Spirit  because  willingly  led  of  the  Spirit,  and 
stay  there  all  the  days  of  your  life;  if  you  do,  you 
will  never  fulfil  the  lust  of  the  flesh. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 


A  saint  without  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit  can  no 
more  walk  in  the  light  as  God  is  in  the  light  than  a 
sinner  can  be  justified  apart  from  the  shedding  of 
the  blood  without  which  there  is  no  remission. 

Andrew  Bonar. 

A  good  many  are  trying  to  work  with  the  anoint- 
ing they  got  three  years  ago. 

D.  L,  MoQPY. 


174 


DAY 

xm 


And  Jesus  being  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  returned  from  Jordan, 
and  was  led  by  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness,  being  forty  days 
tempted  of  the  devil.  And  in  those  days  he  did  eat  nothing:  and 
when  they  were  ended,  he  afterward  hungered.— Luke  iv.  1,  2. 

Jesus  was  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  yet  he  was 
tempted.  Temptation  often  comes  upon  a  man  with 
its  strongest  power  when  he  is  nearest  to  God.  As 
some  one  has  said,  the  devil  aims  high.  He  got  one 
apostle  to  curse  and  swear  and  say  he  didn't  know 
Christ.  Very  few  men  have  such  conflicts  with  the 
devil  as  Martin  Luther  had.  Why?  Because  he  was 
going  to  shake  the  very  kingdom  of  hell.  Oh,  what 
conflicts  John  Bunyan  had!  If  a  m.an  has  much  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  he  will  have  great  conflicts  with 
the  tempter. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Our  Lord's  temptation  came  right  after  his  bap- 
tism and  right  before  his  ministry,  as  soon  as  the 
heavens  had  been  opened  above  him,  and  the  Spirit 
of  God  was  seen  descending  and  resting  upon  him; 
immediately  the  Spirit  leadeth  him— more,  driveth 
him— into  the  wilderness  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil. 
Ah,  my  friends,  after  feelings  have  been  stirred,  after 
resolutions  have  been  made,  after  means  of  grace 
have  been  received,  then  we  should  look  for  tempta- 
tions. Those  things  are  not  to  keep  temptation  at 
arm's-length;  they  are  to  prepare  us  to  meet  temp- 
tation, to  stand  in  the  evil  day,  to  stand  by  our  prom- 
ise, to  be  true  to  God's  voice  that  has  been  heard, 
to  claim,  aye,  to  appropriate  and  really  make  our 
own,  the  grace  that  has  been  bestowed. 

A.  C.  A.  Hall. 

175 


DAY 
XIV 

But  truly  I  am  full  of  power  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.— Micah 
iii.  8. 

There  is  a  great  difference  between  strength  and 
power.  Strength  implies  ability;  but  power  implies 
activity  and  efficiency.  A  man  may  be  a  strong  man, 
even  a  giant,  and  yet  be  powerless  because  he  is 
bound  by  fetters— unable  to  exercise  his  strength. 
The  great  lack  in  our  entire  spiritual  life  is  a  lack 
of  power.  We  cannot  do  the  things  that  we  would. 
Romans  vii.  19  is  too  often  the  experience  not  only 
of  the  Christian,  but  of  every  man:  "The  good  that 
I  would,  I  do  not:  but  the  evil  which  I  would  not,  that 
I  do."  Ovid  said,  "  I  see  and  approve  the  right,  but 
I  follow  and  practise  the  wrong."  Therefore  the 
great  requirement  of  man  is  power— power  in  two 
directions:  power  to  overcome  evil;  power  to  help 
others  to  effect  the  same  thing. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

Christ  said  that  the  works  that  he  did  we  should 
do,  "  and  greater  works  than  these."  He  turns  us 
from  the  miracles  unto  higher  things  which  are  with- 
in our  reach  as  his  disciples.  He  might  have  given 
to  us  the  power  to  lay  our  fingers  upon  benighted 
eyes  and  give  them  sight,  to  put  our  hands  upon 
crooked  ankle-bones  and  give  them  strength,  to  speak 
to  the  sick  and  bring  them  back  to  health,  and  to 
summon  the  dead  to  life  again.  Greater  works  than 
these  are  ours.  If  you  open  the  eyes  of  a  man  so 
that  he  sees  God,  if  you  touch  his  ankle-bones  so  that 
he  walks  with  God,  if  you  bring  healing  to  his  spirit 
and  he  is  made  holy,  if  you  shall  call  the  dead  to  the 
life  of  a  child  of  God,  your  greater  work  is  done. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

176 


DAY 
XV 


Son,  go  work  to-day  in  my  vineyard.— Matt.  xxi.  28. 


Let  US  put  out  of  our  minds  forever  the  thought 
that  thirty  years  from  now  we  are  going  to  do  some- 
thing. You  will  not,  unless  you  do  it  now.  There 
is  more  time  wasted,  more  sin  committed,  waiting 
for  a  more  propitious  opportunity  than  from  any 
other  one  cause.  ''Behold,  now"— not  thirty  minutes 
from  now,  not  ten  seconds  ahead,  but  now;  the  "  now  " 
of  Scripture  has  not  the  duration  of  a  thousandth 
part  of  a  second.  "  Now  is  the  accepted  time,"  no* 
only  to  believe  on  Jesus  Christ,  but  to  serve  him. 

H.  C.  Mabie. 

A  religion  of  effortless  adoration  may  be  a  religion 
for  an  angel,  but  never  for  a  man.  Not  in  the  con- 
templative, but  in  the  active,  lies  true  hope;  not  in 
rapture,  but  in  reality,  lies  true  life;  not  in  the  realm 
of  ideals,  but  among  tangible  things,  is  man's  sanc- 
tification  wrought. 

Henry  Drummond. 

Don^t  wait  for  something  to  turn  up,  but  go  and 
turn  up  something. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

We  are  not  responsible  for  results.  What  is  suc- 
cess in  our  estimation  may  be  failure  from  God's 
standpoint.  Peter  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  lifted  three  thousand  people  into  the  kingdom. 
Stephen  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  was 
stoned  to  death.  One  was  as  great  a  triumph  as  the 
other  in  the  thought  of  God. 

J.  Wilbur  Chapman. 

177 


DAY 
XVI 


In  many  theological-treatises  the  definition  of  the 
church  is,  "A  body  of  believers  voluntarily  associated 
together  for  the  purpose  of  worship  and  edification." 
As  well  say  that  my  body  is  a  voluntary  association 
of  hands  and  feet  and  ears  and  eyes,  for  the  purpose 
of  work  and  locomotion!  The  fact  is  that,  as  my 
body  was  formed  out  of  a  germ  and  all  stands  to- 
gether in  the  head,  so  the  church  is  formed  out  of 
Christ.  As  Eve  was  taken  out  of  Adam,  so  the  church, 
the  bride  of  Christ,  is  taken  out  of  Christ;  and  when 
he  rises  and  ascends  to  the  Father,  then  the  Holy 
Ghost  comes  down,  and  as  the  Word  is  preached  he 
begins  to  gather  about  himself  those  who  are  to 
constitute  the  church  of  Christ. 

It  is  very  instructive  to  notice  the  "  additions " 
named  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  As  soon  as  Peter 
finished  his  first  sermon  "  they  that  gladly  received 
his  word  were  baptized:  and  the  same  day  there 
were  added  unto  them  about  three  thousand  souls." 
The  words  ''unto  them"  do  not  belong  there;  all 
that  is  said  is  that  believers  were  "  added."  If  we 
are  anxious  to  know  to  what  they  were  added,  read 
Acts  V.  14:  "And  believers  were  the  more  added  to 
the  Lord,  multitudes  both  of  men  and  women." 

Ah!  that  is  it.  If  you  put  a  slip  down  into  the 
earth,  there  will  be  an  addition  of  branch  after 
branch  growing  out  of  it.  Jesus  Christ  came  do\\Ti 
in  the  person  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  constitute  the 
center  for  the  church,  and  as  soon  as  believers  were 
regenerated  they  became  added  to  him. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 


178 


^m£^^^       i^ 


Let  the  blessed  Lord  come,  step  aboard  our  poor 
fishing-boats,  take  charge,  order  us  to  the  right  and 
left,  make  the  biggest  of  us  mere  deck-hands.  Let 
the  great  Master's  voice  ring  from  stem  to  stern  on 
every  ship:  "  Launch  out  into  the  deep,  and  let  down 
your  nets  for  a  draft."  No  m.asters,  no  lieutenants, 
no  officers,  no  " orders  of  clergy";  everybody  just  a 
deck-hand  to  pull  ropes  and  shoot  nets  when  he 
comes.  When  the  Lord  is  away,  oh,  we  play  fine 
games !  We  divide  the  boat  into  the  officers'  quarters 
and  the  forecastle,  and  we  walk  majestically  on  the 
poop,  some  of  us,  and  spend  a  great  deal  of  time  dis- 
cussing the  different  places  and  positions,  and  the 
rules  and  regulations— how  far  my  command  is  to 
go,  and  where  it  is  to  stop,  and  on  what  chalk-line 
your  command  begins.  Just  let  the  Lord  come  and 
take  comm.and,  and  you  will  not  be  splitting  hairs 
as  to  your  position  in  the  church. 

John  McNeill. 

There  is  a  familiar  story  about  John  Wesley  and 
others  going  to  the  river  that  bounds  the  Holy  City, 
and  finding,  to  their  astonishment,  that  they  had  to 
drop  their  cloaks  and  garments  in  which  they  ap- 
proached. One  drops  his  cloak,  another  his  robe, 
another  his  surplice,  and  they  come  out  on  the  other 
side  astonished  to  find  that  they  are  all  in  the  same 
white,  beautiful  robe,  the  robe  of  righteousness, 
which  is  Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord.  Cannot  we  gain  a 
little  more  of  heaven  upon  earth  by  handing  out  more 
of  the  right  hand  of  fellowship?  "  Stand  fast  in  one 
spirit,  with  one  mind." 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

179 


DAY 

xvm 


We  very  often  see  people  who  say  that  they  do 
not  believe  m  foreign  missions,  but  believe  in  home 
missions.  They  are  very  largely  like  the  man  in  one 
of  our  Western  States  who,  when  a  subscription  was 
presented  to  him  for  foreign  missions,  said,  "  I  don't 
know  anything  about  them,  and  I  do  not  want  to  give 
my  money  to  the  work."  They  let  him  rest,  but  when 
they  had  an  urgent  appeal  to  help  a  needy  church 
in  Minnesota,  they  went  to  him,  hoping  to  get  his 
subscription;  but  he  said,  "I  do  not  know  anything 
about  Minnesota;  that  is  too  far  away.  I  want  to 
give  my  money  right  here  at  home,  where  I  can  see 
what  it  does."  Then,  when  they  found  that  the  fence 
around  the  graveyard  needed  to  be  repaired,  they 
said,  '*  Well,  we  have  him  now  sure."  And  so  they 
presented  the  subscription  for  the  fence  around  the 
graveyard,  and  the  good  brother  looked  at  it  and  said 
very  solemnly,  "  I  don't  see  the  use  of  that;  for  those 
that  are  in  there  can't  get  out,  and  those  who  are  out 
don't  want  to  get  in."  That  is  my  belief  in  regard 
to  people  professing  to  be  Christians  who  have  no 
interest  in  foreign  missions.  I  do  not  think  they  have 
any  interest  in  any  mission;  for  when  they  have  the 
interest  which  the  divine  teaching  brings  they  will 
want  to  have  the  gospel  preached  to  every  creature. 

S.  L.  Baldwin. 

I  do  not  imagine  that  an  Anglo-Saxon  is  any  dearer 
to  God  than  a  Mongolian  or  an  African.  My  plea  is 
not,  save  America  for  America's  sake,  but,  save 
America  for  the  world's  sake. 

JosiAH  Strong. 


180 


•^t  t^f^fi^^'?^^^  DAY 


Five  hundred  years  before  Christ  India  was  groan- 
ing under  Brahmanical  sacerdotalism,  priestcraft, 
polytheism,  idolatry,  and  caste.  Buddha  arose  as  a 
reformer,  teaching  them  that  there  was  one  .God, 
that  no  human  mediation  was  necessary  between 
God  and  man,  that  all  men  constituted  one  brother- 
hood. He  fired  his  disciples  with  zeal,  and  they  went 
forth  with  him  to  conquer  India  to  their  new-found 
faith.  Kings  became  the  nursing  fathers  of  the  new 
religion.  A  prince  crossed  to  Ceylon,  and  that  island 
was  converted  to  Buddhism.  They  penetrated  the 
jungles  and  climbed  the  mountains,  and  Siam  and  its 
monarch  embraced  the  faith.  They  climbed  the 
Himalayas,  and  the  Nepaulese  became  Buddhists. 
They  climbed  over  into  Tibet,  and  that  land  is  to-day 
their  stronghold.  They  passed  on  into  Siberia  and 
into  China,  and  that  mighty  empire  embraced  their 
faith.  They  crossed  over  to  Japan,  and  the  standard 
of  Buddha  was  planted  there. 

Let  this  history  be  a  prophecy  and  an  inspiration 
to  us.  We  may,  by  God's  blessing,  bring  India  to 
Christ  within  our  generation.  The  Hindu  converts, 
touched  by  the  divine  fire,  inspired  by  the  love  of 
Christ,  will  repeat  the  history  of  the  past,  but  with 
new  zeal,  aided  by  a  power  that  Buddha's  disciples 
knew  not.  The  nations  of  Asia  will  be  conquered  for 
Christ,  and  will  together  plant  the  royal  standard  of 
King  Immanuel,  and  from  those  united  hosts  will  go 
up  the  shout,  "Halleluiah:  for  the  Lord  God  omnip- 
otent reigneth."  Brothers,  be  it  ours,  each  one,  to 
own  a  share  in  that  halleluiah  shout  of  victory. 

Jacob  Chamberlain. 


181 


DAY 
XX 

There  is  none  other  name  under  heaven  given  among  men, 
v/hereby  we  must  be  saved. — Acts  iv.  12. 

Apart  from  Christianity  we  have  nothing  to  depend 
upon.  Without  stopping  to  decide  the  question 
whether  your  Christian  experiences  have  been  genu- 
ine or  not,— you  need  not  go  into  the  rubbish  of 
the  past,— if  you  give  up  Christianity  you  are  gone. 

John  A.  Broadus. 

If  Christianity  were  a  mere  philosophy,  you  would 
spin  it  out  of  your  own  brain,  and  then  you  would 
write  articles  and  defend  your  positions  against 
others,  and  they  would  defend  theirs  against  you, 
and  when  you  got  through  it  would  make  very  little 
difference  whether  you  or  they  came  out  ahead.  A 
great  deal  of  philosophical  discussion  consists  in  a 
trial  of  wits,  in  sword-play.  If  it  were  a  matter  of 
science,  you  would  scrutinize  the  facts  and  by  a  pro- 
cess of  induction  generalize  the  laws  that  express 
the  order  of  sequence  in  which  these  facts  occur. 
Christianity  is  neither  philosophy  nor  science.  A 
circumstance  occurred  last  night  outside  of  your 
knowledge,  except  as  somebody  conversant  with  the 
facts  comes  to  you  and  tells  you  the  facts.  And,  upon 
the  assumption  that  men  generally  speak  the  truth, 
you  believe  your  informant,  and  you  call  the  recital  of 
the  facts  "  a  piece  of  information."  Now  the  Chris- 
tian religion  is  a  piece  of  information  about  some- 
thing that  happened  outside  of  your  knowledge,  and 
that  you  never  could  have  known  under  any  circum- 
stances, and  that  no  process  of  thinking  could  have 
ever  educed,  induced,  or  deduced;  it  is  a  piece  of 
information  given  to  us  on  the  part  of  God. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 

182 


DAY 
XXI 

If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to 
all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not;  and  it  shall  be  given  him. 
— James  i.  5. 

The  truth  of  a  personal  God  is  the  great  and  fun- 
damental need  of  philosophy  and  of  human  life,  the 
one  prof oundest  want  of  man's  brain  and  of  his  heart. 
The  great  masters  of  skeptical  thought,  after  the 
profoundest  investigations  into  the  science  of  the 
known  and  the  probable,  come  back  with  the  awe- 
struck air  of  men  who  have  heard  footsteps  which 
they  cannot  trace,  and  the  rustle  of  royal  robes  whose 
wearer  is  unknown  to  them.  Thus  they  go  a  step 
further  than  Athens,  which  worshiped  the  "unknown 
God,"  while  they  recognize  merely  the  "  unknown." 
I  am  reminded  of  some  doubters  by  the  royal  psalm- 
ist: "The  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart.  There  is  no 
God  "—as  though  only  a  fool  could  say  it,  and  he  only 
in  his  heart.  Lord  Bacon,  great  in  logic  and  not 
mean  in  philosophy,  said,  "  I  would  rather  believe  ail 
the  fables  of  the  Talmud  and  the  Koran  than  that 
this  universal  frame  is  without  a  mind."  The  great 
want  of  philosophy  is  God;  and  if  of  philosophy,  how 
much  more  of  the  great,  aching  brain  and  heart  of 
the  world,  which  in  every  age  has  cried  out,  "  As  the 
hart  panteth  after  the  water-brooks,  so  panteth  my 
soul  after  thee,  0  God."  Cyrus  D.  Foss. 

No  man  of  the  human  race  has  been  in  circum- 
stances to  become  absolutely  wise;  but  every  one  of 
the  human  family  possessed  of  sufficient  wisdom  to 
be  responsible  can  be  good;  and  Jesus  did  not  say, 
"  Blessed  are  the  wise  in  head,"  but,  "  The  pure  in 
heart  shall  see  God."  I.  D.  Driver. 

183 


DAY 

xxn 


What  is  called  "metaphysics"  is  often  only  a' 
beclouding  of  a  hearer's  mind  by  subtleties  that  are 
meant  to  confuse  and  bewilder. 

A  certain  case  at  law  turned  on  the  resemblance 
between  two  car-wheels,  and  Webster  and  Choate 
were  the  opposing  counsel.  To  a  common  eye  the 
wheels  looked  as  if  made  from  the  same  model,  but 
Choate,  by  a  tram  of  hair-splitting  reasoning  and  a 
profound  discourse  on  the  "  fixation  of  points,"  tried 
to  overwhelm  the  jury  with  metaphysics,  and  to  com- 
pel them  to  conclude,  against  the  evidence  of  their 
eyes,  that  there  was  really  hardly  a  shadow  of  essen- 
tial resemblance.  Webster  rose  to  reply.  "  Gentle- 
men of  the  jury,"  said  he,  as  he  opened  wide  his  great 
black  eyes  and  stared  at  the  big  twin  wheels  before 
him,  ''there  they  are— look  at  'em!"  As  he  thun- 
dered out  these  words  it  was  as  though  one  of  Jupi- 
ter's bolts  had  struck  the  earth. 

That  one  sentence  and  look  shattered  Choate^s 
subtle  argument  to  atoms,  and  the  cunning  sophistry 
on  the  ''  fixation  of  points  "  dissolved  as  into  air.  I 
have  great  confidence  in  the  strong  common  sense 
of  an  honest  mind  feeling  the  utter  worthlessness  of 
an  argument  even  v/hen  unable  to  tell  the  reason  why. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 


The  alternatives  of  the  intellectual  life  are  Chris- 
tianity or  agnosticism.  The  agnostic  is  right  when 
he  trumpets  his  incompleteness.  He  who  is  not  com- 
plete in  Him  must  be  forever  incomplete. 

Henry  Drummond. 


184 


DAY 

xxm 

Faith  has  done  many  things  in  this  world  besides 
the  bringing  down  of  the  walls  of  Jericho.  Men 
sometimes  laugh  at  faith  as  though  it  were  a  feeble 
thing,  when,  in  fact,  it  is  one  of  the  great  forces  of 
the  world. 

If  we  were  to  use  scriptural  language  with  regard 
to  all  the  things  that  faith  has  accomplished,  we 
might  speak  as  follows:  By  faith  Columbus  crossed 
the  ocean,  not  knomng  whither  he  went.  By  faith 
Cyrus  Field  planned  and  perfected  the  Atlantic  cable, 
while  all  men  laughed  at  him  and  called  him  vision- 
ary. By  faith  our  forefathers  crossed  the  deep, 
seeking  a  country  where  they  could  freely  worship 
their  God.  By  faith  Edison  toiled  on,  seeking  new 
discoveries  in  his  science,  not  sure  of  the  issue  of  his 
efforts.  All  these  ^^TOught  with  faith,  and  so  worked 
wonders.  The  fact  is  that  without  faith  the  world 
would  come  to  a  standstill. 

This  same  faith  applied  to  spiritual  things  has  done 
wonders  for  the  world.  Faith  in  the  word  and  prom- 
ises of  God  has  led  to  the  establishment  of  mission- 
ary work  all  over  the  world.  Faith  leads  men  and 
women  to  go  far  from  home  and  friends  to  preach 
the  truth  to  those  in  darkest  Africa.  Faith  leads  the 
city  missionary  to  go  to  the  plague-spots  in  darkest 
New  York  or  London,  and  to  believe  that  he  can  bring 
light  and  purity  there.  And  God  rewards  this  faith, 
so  that  the  modern  miracles  are  not  so  much  those 
of  the  healing  of  the  bodies  of  men  as  of  their  spirits. 
If  ever  this  old  and  sinful  world  is  to  be  made  over, 
so  that  it  shall  be  full  of  righteousness,  it  wall  only 
be  when  men  act  more  by  faith  and  less  by  sight, 
and  dare  and  do  great  things  for  God  and  their  fel- 
low-men. A.  F.  SCHAUFFLER. 

185 


DAY 
XXIV 

Sell  that  ye  have,  and  give  alms;  provide  j^ourselves  bags  which 
wax  not  old,  a  treasure  in  the  heavens  that  faileth  not.— Luke 
xii.  33. 

A  bag  that  does  not  wax  old  is  one  that  will  never 
fail  to  be  sending  in  an  income.  There  are  men  in 
heaven,  saved  by  grace  (as  all  are),  who  were  rich 
while  on  earth.  But  all  their  money  was  invested  in 
fine  mansions  and  gardens  and  railroads  and  bank 
shares.  When  they  had  possession  of  them  they  failed 
to  convert  any  part  of  them  into  the  exchange  of 
heaven,  and  now  they  get  no  more  good  from  them. 
Ask  him,  "  0  saint,  are  you  getting  in  anything  now 
from  your  investments  down  there?"  He  will  tell 
you,  "Nothing  whatever;  the  interest  is  all  paid  in 
the  coin  of  earth,  and  that  is  not  transmissible.  I 
ought  to  have  seen  to  that  when  I  had  a  chance;  I 
cannot  do  it  now."  Very  different  is  it  with  the  saints 
who  have  given  money  to  help  save  men  from  death, 
whether  the  amounts  be  large  or  small.  Look,  for 
example,  at  those  who  in  some  wise  way  have  in- 
vested their  property  vdth  a  view  to  results  in  another 
world.  Ask  them,  "  Are  you  getting  any  income  from 
your  investments  down  there  ?  "  "  Oh  yes,  a  wonder- 
ful income.  There  is  a  continual  stream  of  persons 
coming  in  here  who  were  started  heavenward  or  were 
helped  on  their  way  by  those  investments.  They  are 
beginning  to  come  up  out  of  all  lands  and  tribes  and 
kindreds  and  tongues."  These  earthly  investments 
pay  dividends  in  heaven.  WilliAxM  Ashmore. 

Christianity  removes  the  attraction  of  the  earth; 
and  this  is  one  way  in  which  it  diminishes  men's 
burden.     It  makes  them  citizens  of  another  world. 

Henry  Drummond. 

186 


DAY 
XXV 


Once  in  the  end  of  the  world  hath  he  appeared  to  put  away  sin 
by  the  sacrifice  of  himself.— Heb.  ix.  26. 

When  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  long  before 
sin  entered  into  the  world,  the  God  of  all  grace  had 
provided  a  remedy.  The  Lamb  of  God  was  slain  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world.  But  Adam  was  not 
created  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.  Then  God 
had  provided  that  when  man  sinned,  and  entailed 
death  upon  himself,  he  might  die  by  proxy.  That 
was  what  the  great  heart  of  God  proposed  and  pro- 
vided, determined  and  arranged.  And  many  a  picture 
was  hung  out  before  the  world  to  set  it  forth.  When 
Adam's  nakedness  was  discovered  to  him,  and  he 
tried  to  make  himself  clothes  of  fig-leaves,  God  pro- 
vided him  with  better  clothes;  he  clothed  him  and 
he  clothed  Eve  with  the  skins  of  beasts.  The  life  of 
the  animal  that  provided  the  clothing  of  course  was 
forfeited.  It  was  the  first  illustration  of  the  great 
substitution  that  the  Lord  in  his  love  had  provided. 
Ages  rolled  on  and  animals  were  sacrificed.  There 
was  the  morning  lamb,  and  there  was  the  evening 
lamb,  telling  of  the  blood  that  was  to  be  the  substi- 
tute for  the  life  of  man  (for  the  blood  is  the  life), 
until  at  last  the  Lamb  himself  came— the  Lamb  of 
God,  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  As  it 
was  "  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,"— the  great 
emphasis  is  upon  the  "once,"— so  Christ  was  once 
offered.  And  oh,  "  if  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats, 
and  the  ashes  of  a  heifer  sprinkling  the  unclean, 
sanctifieth  to  the  purifying  of  the  flesh;  how  much 
more  shall  the  blood  of  Christ  .  .  .  purge  your  con- 
science from  dead  works  to  serve  the  living  God  ?  " 

Marcus  Rainsford. 

187 


DAY 
XXVI 


A  man  is  not  converted  without  first  having  con- 
viction of  sin.  When  that  conviction  of  sin  comes 
and  his  eyes  are  opened,  he  learns  to  be  afraid  of  his 
sin  and  to  flee  from  it  to  Christ.  But  a  man  needs 
a  second  conviction  of  sin;  a  believer  must  be  con- 
victed of  his  peculiar  sin.  The  sins  of  an  uncon- 
verted man  are  different  from  the  sins  of  a  believer. 
An  unconverted  man,  for  instance,  is  not  ordinarily 
convicted  of  the  corruption  of  his  nature;  he  thinks 
principally  about  external  sins:  "  I  have  taken  God's 
name  in  vain,  been  a  liar,  and  I  am  on  the  way  to 
hell."  He  is  then  convicted  for  conversion.  But  the 
believer  is  in  quite  a  different  condition.  His  sins 
are  far  more  blamable,  for  he  has  had  the  light  and 
the  love  and  the  Spirit  of  God  given  to  him.  He  has 
striven  to  conquer  his  sins,  and  has  grown  to  see  that 
his  nature  is  utterly  corrupt,  that  the  carnal  mind, 
the  flesh  within  him,  was  making  his  whole  state 
utterly  wretched.  When  a  believer  is  thus  convicted 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  is  specially  his  life  of  unbelief 
that  condemns  him;  he  sees  that,  because  of  the  great 
guilt  connected  with  this,  he  has  been  kept  from 
receiving  the  full  gift  of  God's  Holy  Spirit;  he  is 
brought'  down  in  shame  and  confusion  of  face,  and 
he  begins  to  cry,  "  Woe  is  me,  for  I  am  undone.  I 
have  heard  of  God  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear;  I  have 
known  a  great  deal  of  him,  and  preached  about  him, 
but  now  my  eye  seeth  him."  God  comes  near  him, 
and  Job,  the  righteous  man  whom  God  had  trusted, 
sees  in  himself  the  deep  sin  of  self  and  its  right- 
eousness that  he  had  never  seen  before. 

Andrew  Murray. 


188 


DAY 

xxvn 


In  these  days  there  is  a  great  deal  of  lowering  the 
standards.  Business  men  tell  me  that  business 
standards  have  been  lowered,  and  now  a  good  deal 
of  business  runs  into  gambling.  In  politics  the 
standards  have  been  lowered.  There  has  been  a 
lowering  of  standards  in  theology,  and  in  reference 
to  the  supreme  authority  of  God's  iDlessed  Book.  We 
must  keep  the  standard  up  to  the  very  tiptop  peak 
of  God's  flagstaff.  Be  careful,  my  brother,  about 
lowering  your  standard  of  right,  obedience,  and  holi- 
ness. You  remember,  perhaps,  that  scene  in  the  days 
of  conflict,  when  a  color-sergeant  had  carried  the 
colors  so  near  to  the  enemy's  redoubt  that  the  regi- 
ment shouted  to  him  to  bring  them  back  or  they 
would  be  captured.  The  color-sergeant  said,  "No, 
no;  bring  your  men  up  to  the  colors! "  With  a  mag- 
nificent dash,  they  carried  the  colors  themselves  into 
the  rampart.  The  commandment  of  the  Captain  of 
our  salvation  to  us  ministers  is,  "  Bring  my  church 
up  to  my  colors,  and  then  we  will  go  forward  and 
capture  the  enemy."  Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

One  in  twelve  of  the  ancient  apostles  was  a  Judas. 
I  don't  believe  that  one  in  twelve  of  the  modern 
apostles  is  a  Judas.  Nevertheless,  there  is  this  dif- 
ference between  the  ancient  and  the  modern:  the 
ancient  Judas  carried  the  bag,  and  when  he  betrayed 
his  Master  he  had  the  grace  to  go  and  hang  himself. 
In  our  modern  church  system,  when  the  man  who 
carries  the  bag  proves  dishonest  he  shows  no  sorrow; 
and,  what  is  worse,  the  churches  have  such  lax  ideas 
of  discipline  that  they  do  not  even  turn  him  out  of 
ofiice.  Joseph  Cook. 

189 


DAY 

xxvm 

I  cried  unto  the  Lord  with  my  voice,  and  he  heard  me  out  of 
his  holy  hill.— Ps.  iii.  4. 

What  a  grand  philosophy  of  prayer  we  get  in  God's 
Book!  Down  here  in  darkness,  with  trouble  closing 
upon  me  like  wolves  upon  the  belated  traveler,  I 
cried;  and  One  as  loving  and  human  and  personal  as 
myself  heard  me.  My  Father,  God  up  yonder  in 
heaven,  heard  me.  When  I,  his  child,  fell  down  here 
on  the  earth,  I  tried  to  get  up  and  began  to  cry.  He 
knew  the  cry  of  his  bairn,  and,  quicker  than  I  can  tell 
it,  flew  to  my  relief.  *'  That's  my  David,"  said  God, 
as  he  rose  and  came  to  the  front  door  of  heaven  to 
listen,  when  they  were  badgering  him  and  the  hounds 
of  hell  were  upon  him.  *'  I  knew  my  David's  voice 
among  ten  thousand  voices."  And  God  came  out  and 
scattered  the  foe  right  and  left,  and  set  him  on  high 
from  all  his  enemies.  John  McNeill. 

If  we  had  prayed  more  we  need  not  have  worked 
so  hard.  We  have  too  little  praying  face  to  face 
with  God  every  day.  Looking  back  at  the  end,  I 
suspect  there  will  be  great  grief  for  our  sins  of 
omission— omission  to  get  from  God  what  we  might 
have  got  by  praying.  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

Jesus  never  taught  his  disciples  how  to  preach, 
but  he  did  teach  them  how  to  pray.  I  would  rather 
be  able  to  pray  like  Daniel  than  to  preach  like  Ga- 
briel. If  men  know  how  to  pray  they  know  how  to 
work  for  God.  D.  L.  Moody. 

You  may  work  without  praying,  but  you  can't  pray 
without  working.  J.  Hudson  Taylor. 

190 


Pray  without  ceasing.— 1  Thess.  v.  17. 

We  prove  the  value  which  we  attach  to  things  by 
the  time  we  devote  to  them.  The  kingdom  of  God 
asks  our  time,  and  it  is  only  by  giving  it  that  the 
kingdom  can  be  kept  in  its  true  place,  first  every  day, 
and  all  day.  God  has  broken  up  our  lifetime  into 
day  and  night.  One  object  of  that  is  that  we  may 
learn  to  live  a  day  at  a  time,  and  should  thus  have 
a  time  every  morning,  after  having  been  raised  out 
of  sleep  in  which  we  were  utterly  helpless,  when  we 
should  begin  afresh  with  our  God.  Begin  the  day 
with  God,  and  God  will  maintain  his  kingdom  in  your 
heart.  Andrew  Murray. 

Men  do  not  excel  to-day,  because,  after  their  con- 
version, they  do  not  go  apart,  like  Moses  and  Paul, 
into  Horeb  or  Arabia  for  a  season.  Young  Chris- 
tians must  go  into  Arabia.  Book-learning  mil  never 
make  preachers.  You  must  but  get  away  alone  with 
God  and  his  holy  Word,  and  let  God  speak  to  you 
until  you  can  see  God.  Then  you  will  see  the  burn- 
ing bush,  the  majesty  of  God,  and  it  will  make  you 
take  off  your  shoes,  for  you  will  see  that  the  ground 
whereon  you  stand  is  holy.  Then  only  will  God  call 
you  to  be  delivered  and  a  deliverer. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

He  who  rushes  into  the  presence  of  God  and  hur- 
riedly whispers  a  few  petitions  and  rushes  out  again 
never,  perhaps,  sees  God  there  at  all.  He  can  no 
more  get  a  vision  than  a  disquieted  lake  can  mirror 
the  stars.  We  must  stay  long  enough  to  become 
calm,  for  it  is  only  the  peaceful  soul  in  which  eternal 
things  are  reflected  as  in  a  placid  water. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

191 


^   ^cO^y^P 


There  is  no  warrant  for  carelessness  or  self-suffi- 
ciency in  the  smallest  thing  we  may  be  called  upon 
to  do  for  God.  A  young  divinity  student  in  Ireland 
was  preaching  for  the  Bishop  of  Cashel.  As  they 
went  into  the  pulpit  the  good  bishop  asked  the  young 
student  what  he  would  preach  about.  He  replied 
that  he  had  made  no  preparation,  and  that  he  was 
quite  uncertain,  but  was  confident  that  he  could  oc- 
cupy the  time,  as  he  was  just  from  the  university. 
After  two  or  three  minutes  of  labor  over  a  text  glibly 
given  out,  he  broke  down  in  confusion,  and  the  bishop 
was  obliged  to  finish  the  sermon.  When  they  came 
back  to  the  vestry  the  young  man  buried  his  face  in 
his  hands  and  groaned  in  shame  and  humiliation. 
"  My  young  brother,"  said  the  bishop,  "  if  you  had 
gone  up  as  you  came  down,  you  would  have  come 
down  as  you  went  up." 

D.  W.  Whittle. 


May  we  always  have  grace  to  take  our  proper 
place  under  the  Master's  table  and  plead  for  the 
crumbs.  God  says  you  have  sinned  and  come  short 
of  his  glory.  Let  us  reply,  "Truth,  Lord;  yet  thou 
receivest  sinners  and  eatest  with  them."  God  says, 
"  Ye  are  weakness  itself."  "  Truth,  Lord;  yet  in  our 
weakness  thou  dost  delight  to  show  forth  thy 
strength."  God  says,  "Your  msdom  is  folly." 
"Truth,  Lord;  yet  thou  hast  promised  to  give  wis- 
dom to  them  that  ask  it  of  thee."  We  receive  God's 
favors  only  as  we  thus  accept  the  positions  of  un- 
worthiness  and  weakness  to  which  we  are  assigned 
in  his  Word. 

A.  C.  Dixon, 

192 


(Mouth  of  filly 

Topples 
Arthur  T.  Tierson  %oiiiid  Top 


Concerning  the  work  of  my  hands  command  ye  me.— Isa.  xlv. 
11. 

In  nature  we  find  great  universal  forces— light, 
heat,  gravity,  cohesion,  magnetism,  electricity,  chem- 
ical affinity,  life.  We  have  only  to  understand  the 
laws  or  conditions  within  which  they  act,  and  we  may 
command  them:  obey  the  law  of  the  power,  and  the 
power  obeys  you.  Thus  we  command  light,  and  it 
becomes  our  artist;  heat,  and  it  becomes  our  refiner 
and  purifier;  gravity,  and  it  becomes  our  giant  me- 
chanic; magnetism,  our  pilot;  electricity,  our  motor, 
messenger,  illuminator.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  all- 
subduing  power  of  the  spiritual  realm.  Obey  the  law^s 
of  the  Spirit,  and  all  his  power  is  at  your  disposal. 
In  the  work  of  God  the  believer  may  command  him. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson, 

Imagine  one  mthout  genius,  and  devoid  of  the 
artist's  training,  sitting  down  before  Raphael's  fa- 
mous picture  of  the  "  Transfiguration  "  and  attempt- 
ing to  reproduce  it!  How  crude  and  mechanical  and 
lifeless  his  work  would  be!  But  if  such  a  thing  were 
possible  that  the  spirit  of  Raphael  should  enter  into 
the  man,  and  obtain  the  mastery  of  his  mind  and  eye 
and  hand,  it  would  be  entirely  possible  that  he  should 
reproduce  this  masterpiece;  for  it  would  simply  be 
Raphael  reproducing  Raphael.  For  this  purpose  have 
we  been  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  that  we  might 
do  the  very  things  which  he  would  do  if  he  were  here. 
"  The  works  that  I  do  shall  ye  do  also ;  and  greater 
works  than  these  shall  ye  do;  because  I  go  unto  my 
Father." 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

193 


DAY 
U 


God  never  alters  his  law.  The  two  visits  of  Moses 
up  the  mount  were  different,  yet  they  ended  in  the 
same  way.  Moses  broke  the  first  tables  of  stone, 
but  made  the  new  exactly  the  same.  It  is  as  impos- 
sible to  alter  God's  law  as  to  alter  his  throne.  You 
cannot  get  above  the  law.  Then  get  deeper  and 
deeper  in  sympathy  with  it,  because  that  law  is  the 
mind  of  God.  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

In  our  estimate  of  the  decalogue  we  have  made 
too  much  of  the  law  element,  and  too  little  of  the 
element  of  love.  As  a  consequence,  it  has  not  been 
easy  for  us  to  see  how  it  is  that  God's  law  is  love, 
and  that  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  God's  law.  But  the 
ten  commandments  are  a  simple  record  of  God's 
loving  covenant  with  his  people,  and  they  are  not 
the  arbitrary  commandings  of  God  to  his  subjects. 
They  indicate  the  inevitable  limits  within  which  God 
and  his  people  can  be  in  loving  union  rather  than 
declare  the  limits  of  dutiful  obedience  on  the  part 
of  those  who  would  be  God's  faithful  subjects. 

Henry  Clay  Trumbull. 

The  law  is  used  by  God  as  the  means  of  putting 
an  end  to  man's  boasting;  it  stops  every  man's  mouth. 
A  man  who  is  trying  to  measure  himself  by  the  law 
is  pretty  small;  but  if  he  measures  himself  by  his 
neighbors  he  thinks  that  he  is  about  two  inches  taller 
than  any  one  else.  Under  the  old  dispensation  the 
prodigal  would  have  been  turned  out  and  stoned. 
The  law  says,  ''Smite  him;"  grace  says,  "Forgive 
him."  The  law  says,  ''Cast  him  out;"  grace  says, 
"  Bring  him  in."     '  D.  L.  Moody. 

194 


DAY 

m 


God  does  not  want  any  further  expiation  for  sin 
than  that  which  has  already  been  so  blessedly  ac- 
cepted. Christ's  resurrection  is  receipt  in  full  for 
all  the  law's  just  claim  upon  us;  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
has  come  down  to  give  us  a  blank  draft  upon  God's 
fullness.  He  writes  his  name— I  AM;  and  you  put 
in  what  you  want,  send  it,  backed  by  faith  and 
prayer,  and  God  will  honor  it.  Do  you  want  strength  ? 
"I  am  strength."  Do  you  want  salvation?  "I  am 
salvation."  Do  you  want  peace  ?  "  I  am  that  peace." 
It  is  all  for  Jesus,  and  all  for  you;  for,  as  it  has 
pleased  God  that  in  Christ  all  fullness  should  dwell, 
so  he  is  pleased  that  of  his  fullness  all  we  should 
receive,  and  grace  for  grace.  There  is  no  fountain 
on  this  earth  to  slake  a  poor  sinner's  thirst,  li  you 
do  not  get  a  drink  from  the  living  water  you  will 
never  be  satisfied.  All  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth 
are  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit. 

Marcus  Rainsford. 

The  love  of  God  is  as  universal  now  as  in  the  day 
when  Jesus  Christ  said  it  included  every  man;  the 
needs  of  the  world  are  as  intense  to-day  as  when 
they  pierced  the  very  heart  of  God  and  drew  his 
only  Son  down  to  earth  to  die  for  the  sins  of  men. 
The  pathetic  appeal  of  the  poor  lost  world,  as  it 
staggers,  blindfold,  around  the  great  altar,  is  the 
more  pitiable  because  it  does  not  know  it  is  blind, 
and  calls  us  to  an  immediate  and  undaunted  effort 
to  at  once  undertake  operations  which  shall  secure, 
before  we  die,  the  evangelization  of  this  world. 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

195 


DAY 
IV 

The  Lord's  portion  is  his  people.— Deut.  xxxii.  9. 

We  should  be  solicitous  not  only  as  to  what  we 
have  in  God,  but  what  God  has  in  us.  We  are  God's 
heritage;  we  are  his  property,  which  he  has  re- 
claimed from  the  waste  wilderness  of  the  world, 
which  he  has  fertilized  with  his  own  blood,  which 
he  has  fenced  in  by  his  cross,  in  which  he  has  erected 
his  dwelling-place,  and  which  he  has  brought  under 
his  own  cultivation.  0  soul,  conceive  of  thyself  as 
an  estate  which  has  come  into  the  possession  of  the 
eternal  God.  Some  time  ago,  in  Scotland,  I  gained 
new  light  upon  this  thought,  as  I  noticed  the  amount 
of  care  which  Scotch  people  take  of  very  poor  land. 
Some  of  us  have  been  barren  land,  just  reclaimed 
from  the  ocean  of  barrenness  and  waste,  and  we 
have  come  beneath  the  cultivation  of  God,  and,  if 
we  will  only  let  him,  God  is  prepared  to  bring  under 
his  care  every  faculty,  every  quality  of  our  nature, 
leaving  no  part  untouched,  but  raising  crop  after 
crop  out  of  us— his  estate.  In  earlier  life  we  are 
all  inclined  to  do  the  best  we  can  with  our  powers 
for  God,  till  repeated  failure  convinces  us  how  little 
we  can  make  of  ourselves;  and  when  the  sun  is 
reaching  its  zenith,  when  we  have  despaired  of  get- 
ting any  more  crops  out  of  the  soil  that  seems  hope- 
lessly impoverished,  we  are  led  to  fall  back  upon  God 
and  say  to  him,  "My  God,  this  estate  is  thine;  rear 
from  the  spirit,  from  the  imagination,  from  the  will, 
from  the  affections,  from  all  the  powers  that  thou 
hast  given  me,  some  fruit  which  shall  bring  glory  to 
thee  and  shall  keep  my  life  from  having  been  wasted." 

F.  B.  Meyer. 


196 


DAY 

V 

Christ  Jesus:  whom  God  hath  set  forth  ...  to  declare  his 
righteousness  [justification]  for  the  remission  of  sins  that  are 
past,  through  the  forebearance  of  God;  to  declare,  I  say,  at  this 
time  his  righteousness :  that  he  might  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of 
him  which  believeth  in  Jesus.— Rom.  iii.  24,  26. 

Righteousness,  or  justification,  means,  therefore, 
not  only  the  sinner's  vindication,  but  God's  vindica- 
tion. It  is  the  divine  scheme  of  mercy  and  love 
whereby  God  can  acquit  and  justify  a  transgressor, 
and  yet  acquit  and  justify  himself,  as  having  no 
complicity  with  guilt  or  sin  or  laxity  as  to  his  in- 
violable law. 

This  side  of  justification  is  habitually  overlooked. 
In  pardoning  sin  the  perfection  of  God  is  in  danger 
of  compromise.  In  the  loose  notions  of  forgiveness 
now  prevalent,  there  is  a  tendency  to  magnify  love 
at  the  expense  of  belittling  law.  Perfect  govern- 
ment demands  perfect  law,  and  perfect  law  demands 
perfect  sanctions  of  reward  and  penalty.  The  cer- 
tainty that  every  transgression  and  disobedience  re- 
ceives its  just  recompense  of  reward  is  part  of  the 
perfection  of  God  and  his  government.  Laxity  of 
administration  imperils  the  foundations  of  society. 
Hence,  if  God  forgives  and  justifies  the  sinner,  it 
must  be  in  such  a  way  as  to  justify  himself.  His 
law  must  be  kept  intact  and  his  justice  must  not 
suffer  for  the  sake  of  his  mercy. 

Here  lies  the  glory  of  God's  justification.  It 
is  so  provided  for  as  that  law  and  justice  and 
government  and  the  character  of  God  are  abso- 
lutely safe.  Penalty  is  borne  by  the  innocent  Sub- 
stitute, so  that  the  law  is  magnified;  the  hatred  of 
sin  is  as  manifest  in  the  sacrifice  of  God's  dear  Son 
as  though  all  transgressors  received  their  full  rec- 
ompense. Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

197 


DAY 
VI 


By  faith  Abel  offered  unto  God  a  more  excellent  sacrifice  than 
Cain.— Heb.  xi.  4. 


Abel's  offering  was  such  as  God  could  accept. 
His  first  thought  was  to  get  rid  of  sin;  he  came  with 
the  blood.  Cain,  like  the  Pharisee  who  "prayed 
with  himself,"  offered  unto  himself.  He  came  with 
the  fruits  of  his  field  as  the  result  of  his  industry 
and  intelligence.  There  was  no  mysticism  about 
him;  in  his  own  opinion,  he  had  no  sin  needing 
atonement;  if,  indeed,  there  was  sin,  he  thought  that 
his  industry  and  other  good  qualities  made  amends 
for  it,  so  that  God  would  accept  his  fruits  as  an 
atonement  for  his  faults.  He  presented  the  fruit 
of  prayer  with  the  serpent  of  sin  coiled  in  it.  Abel 
heroically  saw  himself  as  he  was;  Cain  looked  at 
himself  as  he  wished  to  be.  Sinner  that  he  was, 
Abel  presented  the  offering  of  blood ;  self-complacent 
as  he  was,  Cain  refused  to  confess  his  sin,  which,  un- 
confessed,  soon  developed  into  crime. 

A.  C.  Dixon. 


Men  will  never  find  salvation  until  they  give  up 
all  efforts  to  save  themselves.  Some  one  asked  an 
Indian  how  he  got  converted.  He  built  a  fire  in  a 
circle  round  a  worm,  and  then,  after  the  worm  had 
crawled  round  every  way  and  then  lay  down  to  die, 
he  reached  over  and  took  him  out.  That  is  the  way 
in  which  God  saves  us. 

D.  L.  Moody. 


198 


DAY 

vn 


That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh;  and  that  which  is  born 
of  the  Spirit  is  spirit.— John  iii.  6. 

Spiritual  things  may  be  imitated  by  the  flesh  but 
cannot  be  produced  from  it.  It  would  be  folly  to 
look  for  anything  but  crab-apples  from  a  crab-apple 
tree,  if  no  better  fruit  had  been  grafted  in  upon  its 
stem.  So  it  is  useless  to  exhort  a  piety  that  does 
not  exist,  and  fruitless  to  teach  an  unregenerate 
man  to  cultivate  an  unrenewed  heart. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 


The  Spirit  must  convict  before  you  can  convert. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

Not  more  certain  is  it  that  it  is  something  outside 
the  thermometer  that  produces  a  change  in  the 
thermometer  than  it  is  something  outside  the  soul 
of  man  that  produces  a  moral  change  upon  him. 
That  he  must  be  susceptible  to  that  change,  that  he 
must  be  a  party  to  it,  goes  without  saying;  but  that 
neither  his  aptitude  nor  his  will  can  produce  it  is 
equally  certain. 

Henry  Drummond. 

He  who  would  be  most  like  Christ  must  pay  the 
cost.  As  God  reckons  jewelry,  there  is  no  gem  that 
shines  with  more  brilliancy  than  the  tear  of  true 
penitence;  yet  God  only  knoweth  what  heart-pres- 
sure and  what  crushing  of  wilful  pride  may  have 
been  necessary  to  force  the  tear  to  the  cheek  of 
a  stubborn  sinner. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

199 


DAY 

vm 

There  is  no  joy  like  hearing  the  joy-song  of  a 
new-born  soul.  Yes,  another  joy  may  be  as  deep— 
the  joy  of  sympathy  with  Jesus  in  his  rejected  life, 
and  the  assurance  that  the  Father  looks  on  me  with 
pleasure.  Think  of  the  number  of  Christians  in  the 
world,  and  then  of  the  unsaved  millions  of  heathen- 
dom, and  then  ask,  Are  we  true  followers  of  Christ, 
who  went  all  the  way  to  Calvary  to  give  his  blood 
for  man?  Remember,  the  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
the  joy  of  working  for  God.  Most  of  us  look  at  all 
our  facilities  for  work  and  say  that  we  will  try  to 
manage  these  things  better.  Oh,  if  we  had  a  sense 
of  the  state  of  the  millions  around  us,  we  should 
fall  on  our  faces  before  God  and  say,  "  God  help  us 
to  something  new.  Oh,  that  every  fiber  of  my  being 
may  be  taken  possession  of  for  this  great  work  with 
God!"  Andrew  Murray. 

If  I  had  the  choice  of  preaching  like  Gabriel, 
swaying  men  at  my  will,  without  winning  them  to 
Christ,  or  taking  them  one  by  one  in  private  and 
leading  them  to  the  truth,  how  gladly  would  I 
choose  the  latter!  Men  ought  to  prize  the  reputa- 
tion of  knowing  how  to  win  young  men  and  clear 
away  their  troubles.  It  is  the  greatest  honor  you 
and  I  can  enjoy.  D.  L.  Moody. 

Personal  work  means  helpful  contact  with  another 
so  as  to  awaken  or  promote  in  him  the  Christ-life. 
Aim  to  put  yourself  in  his  place,  and  in  Christ's 
place  in  relation  to  him.  Seek  to  learn  what  is  his 
real  difficulty,  the  truth  he  needs  to  realize;  how  to 
win  an  entrance  for  truth  into  his  heart,  and  to  find 
a  parallel  case  in  Scripture. 

James  McConaughy. 

200 


DAY 
IX 


The  atonement  of  Christ  reveals  the  great  heart 
of  the  Ahnighty  beating  with  love  and  compassion 
for  men;  and  to  attempt  to  reduce  it  to  any  theory 
is  sim^ply  presumptuous  and  hopeless.  "The  good 
Shepherd  giveth  his  life  for  the  sheep."  There  are 
the  sheep,  and  there  are  the  wolves,  and  here  is  the 
good  Shepherd.  I  understand  thus  much  thoroughly, 
that  I  should  have  died  from  the  wolves  if  Jesus 
Christ  had  not  died  for  me.  But  I  bless  God  that 
the  atonement  is  so  great  I  cannot  measure  it,  that 
the  heart  of  the  Eternal  is  so  deep  I  cannot  sound 
it.  There  is  such  a  vastness  in  atoning  love,  there 
is  such  fullness  in  it,  that  it  cannot  be  reduced  to 
any  form  of  speech,  and  the  reverent  heart  comes 
at  last  to  see  this  great,  burning,  loving  heart  of 
the  Eternal  and  to  be  quiet  in  adoring  love  and  trust. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

What  could  the  world  give  Christ  that  was  not 
already  his?  What  could  it  add  to  the  position  of 
one  of  whom  it  was  said,  "  By  him  were  all  things 
made,  and  without  him  was  not  anything  made  that 
was  made  "  ?  What  could  the  world  add  to  the  glory 
of  him  who  had  been  by  the  Father  seated  at  his 
own  right  hand,  far  above  principalities  and  powers 
and  thrones  and  dominions,  with  a  name  above  every 
name?  There  was  but  one  new  glory  Christ  could 
acquire— that  of  service  and  sacrifice.  All  crowns 
were  already  his,  save  one— the  crown  of  thorns. 
His  whole  life  was  a  ministry  of  love,  of  instruction 
to  the  ignorant,  pardon  to  the  penitent,  healing  to 
the  sick,  and  comfort  to  the  sorrowing. 

M.  D.  HOGE. 

201 


DAY 
X 


If  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus 
Christ  the  righteous.— 1  John  ii.  1. 

I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another  Advocate. 
— John  xiv.  16. 


After  the  day  of  Pentecost  this  promise  of  another 
Advocate  was  fulfilled,  and  now  what  do  we  have? 
One  Advocate  on  the  throne;  another  Advocate  here; 
just  as,  sometimes,  there  is  a  law  firm  in  which  there 
are  two  partners.  One  of  them  is  the  pleader,  and 
the  other  is  the  counselor.  The  one  goes  into  court; 
the  other  occupies  the  office,  and  gives  advice  and 
counsel  to  the  clients.  So  to-day  there  are  two 
partners  in  the  divine  Trinity.  One  has  gone  into 
court;  he  is  the  Advocate  to  plead  for  us  there;  the 
other  is  down  here,  and  he  is  the  Counselor.  What- 
ever Jesus  Christ,  the  Advocate,  does  for  us  up  there, 
the  other  Advocate  does  in  us  down  here. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 


There  is  a  great  difference  between  possessing  the 
Spirit  and  being  possessed  by  the  Spirit.  Was  there 
not  a  difference  between  the  apostles  before  and 
after  Pentecost?  Before,  they  were  full  of  rivalry 
and  jealousy,  weak  in  confessing  their  Master,  and 
quick  to  misunderstand  him;  but  after,  they  were 
bold  as  lions,  intelligent,  loving,  spiritual.  Chrono- 
logically we  are  living  on  this  side  of  Pentecost; 
but  experimentally  many  are  living  upon  the  other 
side.  F.  B.  Meyer. 


202 


DAY 
XI 


We  know  not  what  we  should  pray  for  as  we  ought:  but  the 
Spirit  himself  maketh  intercession  for  us.— Rom.  viii.  26. 

The  Greek  or  Roman  advocate  helped  his  client  in 
two  different  ways.  Sometimes  he  spoke  for  the 
client  before  the  tribunal,  as  our  advocates  do,  and 
it  is  in  this  sense  that  Christ  is  called  our  Advocate, 
pleading  for  us  before  the  throne.  But  in  other 
cases  the  ancient  advocate  merely  prepared  a  speech 
which  the  client  might  speak  for  himself.  It  is  in 
this  sense  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  our  Advocate.  He 
teaches  us  what  to  pray  for.  The  desires  which  the 
Spirit  works  in  the  heart  will  often  be  too  deep  to 
find  adequate  expression  in  human  language;  and  so 
the  Spirit  is  said  to  intercede  with  groanings  which 
cannot  be  uttered.  But  their  meaning  is  fully  known 
to  God,  and  the  prayer  which  the  Spirit  works  in  us 
is  sure  to  be  according  to  the  will  of  God,  and  it  is 
as  sure  to  be  answered. 

John  A.  Broadus. 


When,  in  Christ's  name,  we  come  to  God,  not  we, 
but  he  is  the  suppliant.  Hence  he  is  said  to  offer 
the  prayers  of  God's  saints  at  the  golden  altar  which 
is  before  the  throne,  and  even  to  pray  the  Father 
for  us.  More  than  this,  he  hints  that  it  is  not  need- 
ful that  he  should  thus  pray  the  Father  for  us,  for 
the  Father  himself  loves  us  because  we  have  believed 
in  Jesus  and  are  thus  one  with  him,  whom  the  Father 
heareth  always. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

203 


DAY 
XII 

It  is  not  God  who  has  not  given;  it  is  we  who  have 
not  taken.  We  have  filled  the  temple  of  God  with 
our  household  stuff,  and  have  put  the  money-changers 
and  divers  kinds  of  folly  into  the  Father's  house; 
therefore  we  are  not  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Let  a  man,  let  the  church,  go  down  before  God  and 
say,  "Search  me,  0  God."  When  he  has  searched 
you,  he  will  show  you  things  you  never  knew.  You 
can  only  get  rid  of  what  you  find;  and  God  gives  no 
further  than  man  can  take;  and  man  can  take  only 
what  he  knows.  Let  us  go  to  God  and  tell  him  all 
our  sin  and  folly,  and  the  pride  that  has  prevented 
us  from  confessing  the  evil  things  of  which  we  knew. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

An  old  man  once  said  to  me,  *'  Do  you  think  that 
it  is  right,  when  paying  money  that  has  been  taken 
wrongly,  to  give  your  name  at  the  same  time  ?  "  I 
asked  what  he  meant,  and  he  replied,  "  I  took  thirty 
pounds'  worth  of  coal  that  did  not  belong  to  me,  and 
I  feel  miserable.  When  I  try  to  speak  for  God,  it 
seems  as  if  something  choked  me.  I  have  put  ten 
pounds  in  the  letter-box,  but  that  didn't  make  me 
any  happier,  and  so  I  went  and  put  in  another  ten 
pounds.  I  thought  I  would  put  in  another  ten  to 
make  it  thirty,  but  do  you  think  I  ought  to  confess 
it?"  I  said,  "Certainly;  you  must  be  a  man;  you 
must  own  up  to  it."  The  man  did  confess,  and  his 
employer  was  so  struck  with  it  that  he  told  his  man- 
ager they  would  break  off  a  practice  that  was  not 
perfectly  honest,  because  he  was  not  quite  easy  in 
his  conscience.  That  old  man,  after  he  had  done 
his  duty,  shot  right  up  into  the  sunlight! 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

204 


DAY 

xm 


A  rough  sailor  once  stood  alone  before  Munkacszy's 
great  picture  of  "  Christ  before  Pilate."  As  he  looked, 
he  could  not  turn  away,  but  stood  there  with  his 
eyes  fixed  on  that  central  figure  of  majesty  and  love. 
In  a  few  moments  he  took  off  his  hat  and  let  it  fall 
to  the  floor.  Then  a  little  later  he  sat  down  and 
picked  up  a  book  that  described  the  picture,  and 
began  to  read;  every  few  seconds  his  eyes  would 
turn  toward  the  canvas  and  toward  the  figure  of 
Christ.  The  doorkeeper  saw  him  lift  up  his  hand 
and  wipe  away  some  tears.  Still  he  sat  there— five, 
ten,  fifteen,  sixty  minutes— as  though  he  could  not 
stir.  At  last  he  arose,  and,  coming  softly  and 
reverently  toward  the  door,  he  hesitated,  to  take 
one  last  look,  and  said  to  the  w^oman  who  sat  there, 
"  Madam,  I  am  a  rough,  wicked  sailor.  I  have  never 
believed  in  Christ;  I  have  never  used  his  name,  ex- 
cept in  an  oath.  But  I  have  a  Christian  mother,  who 
begged  me  to-day,  before  I  went  to  sea,  to  come  and 
look  at  this  picture  of  the  Christ.  To  oblige  her  I 
have  come.  I  did  not  think  that  anybody  believed 
in  Christ;  but  as  I  have  looked  at  that  form  and  that 
face  I  have  thought  that  some  man  must  have  be- 
lieved in  him,  and  it  has  touched  me,  and  I  have 
come  to  believe  in  him  too."  Oh,  beloved,  if  a  poor, 
weak  man,  living  in  a  godless  land,  could  take  his 
brush  and  preach  on  canvas,-  and  cause  our  Christ 
to  glow  upon  it,  until  a  rude,  licentious  man  was 
won  to  believe  in  him,  what  might  not  our  God  do 
if  he  might  paint  Christ  in  us— nay,  if  he  might  re- 
produce Christ  in  a  human  life,  that  the  life  might 
be  Christ's,  and  that  men  might  come  to  believe  on 
him!  B.  Fay  Mills. 

205 


DAY 

XIV 

That  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith;  that  ye,  being 
rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  may  be  able  to  comprehend  with  all 
saints  what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and  height; 
and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge,  that 
ye  might  be  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God.— Eph.  iii.  17-19. 

Oh,  may  God  point  out  more  to  us  of  the  heights 
and  depths  and  lengths  and  breadths  of  the  believer's 
position  in  Christ,  that  we  may  know  the  love  of 
Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge,  and  that  we  may 
be  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God!  I  do  not  know 
what  the  breadth  is  or  what  the  length  is,  but  I 
think  I  know  what  the  height  is.  I  am  in  Christ— 
there  is  nothing  higher.  And  I  think  I  know  what 
the  depth  is;  that  is,  Christ  in  me— and  God  knows 
I  know  nothing  lower.  Marcus  Rainsford. 

If  we  are  like  Christ,  there  will  be  about  us  the 
savor  of  his  name.  We  are  to  be  chosen  witnesses 
to  his  resurrection.  Men  can  believe  that  there  is 
a  God  up  in  heaven  if  they  can  see  a  God  dwelling 
in  our  hearts.  The  greatest  evidence  of  the  spirit- 
ual religion  is  a  holy  life.  A  m.an  that  will  be  pure 
in  the  midst  of  impurity,  that  will  be  loving  in  the 
midst  of  the  bitter  sarcasms  of  a  cruel  world,  that 
will  reproduce  the  lowly  character  of  the  dear  Sa- 
viour in  a  polluted,  sinful  world,  is  the  most  clear 
and  irrefragable  argument  that  God  is  true  and 
that  his  Word  is  true.  M.  E.  Baldwin. 

God  does  not  ask  to  have  us  hide  Christ  away  in 
our  impure  hearts ;  he  wants  Christ  so  formed  in  me 
that  Christ  and  I  are  one,  and  that  the  image  of  his 
blessed  Son  may  be  manifest  in  my  thoughts  and 
heart  and  life.  Andrew  Murray, 

206 


DAY 

XV 


Ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.— Col.  iii.  3. 

If  this  is  true  of  me,  then  one  thing  is  very  clear: 
if  my  life  is  hid  with  Christ,  I  haven't  it;  and  if  I 
haven't  it,  I  can't  lose  it.  Is  not  that  plain  ?  Some 
people  think  they  wall  lose  it.  Blessings  on  his  holy 
name,  no!  It  is  hid  in  the  safest  place  in  all  the 
universe,  is  the  life  of  a  Christian.  It  was  too  dearly 
purchased  for  God  to  leave  it  for  us  to  keep.  Why, 
if  he  did  that,  the  devil  would  soon  get  hold  of  it. 
God  gave  life  to  Adam  to  keep,  and  how  long  did  he 
keep  it?  If  he  had  given  me  my  life  to  keep,  oh, 
what  neglect  there  would  be!  I  thank  God  that  I 
have  not  the  keeping  of  it. 

Marcus  Rainsford. 


I  never  saw  a  long-faced  Christian  that  amounted 
to  anything.  It  is  worse  to  meet  such  a  man  than 
to  face  an  east  wind  in  March.  What  we  want  is 
the  spirit  and  confidence  of  the  old  martyr  who  said 
to  a  king  who  threatened  to  banish  him  because  he 
would  not  give  up  testifying  for  Christ,  "  I  am  not 
afraid  of  that,  for  you  cannot  banish  me  from  where 
Christ  is."  The  king  said,  "  Well,  I  will  take  away 
your  property."  The  man  replied,  "No,  you  can't; 
my  treasure  is  laid  up  in  heaven;  it  is  hid  with  Christ 
in  God."  The  king  said  hotly,  "  I  will  kill  you,  then." 
"You  can't  do  that,  either;  I  have  been  dead  these 
forty  years ! "  exclaimed  the  martyr.  "  What  are  you 
going  to  do  with  such  a  fanatic  ?  "  asked  the  king. 
You  can't  do  anything  with  him;  he  has  a  security 
and  peace  which  all  the  kings  on  earth  cannot  dis- 
turb. D.  L.  Moody. 

207 


DAY 
XVI 

However  distasteful  a  service  may  be,  or  however 
disagreeable  the  person  to  whom  it  must  be  rendered, 
God  is  back  of  it  all,  and  loved  that  person  well 
enough  to  give  his  Son  to  die  for  him.  Dr.  Guthrie 
was  walking  along  the  streets  of  Edinburgh,  when 
he  overtook  a  little  girl  carrying  a  child  much  too 
heavy  for  her.  In  a  very  gentle  way  Dr.  Guthrie 
said,  "  My  child,  the  baby  is  too  heavy  for  you,  isn't 
he?"  With  a  shining  face,  she  made  quick  re- 
sponse, "No,  sir;  he's  my  brother"  It  makes  a 
difference  that  one  for  whom  I  must  toil  and  wait, 
whose  burden  I  must  bear,  was  one  for  whom  Jesus 
died,  and  thus  is  bound  to  me  with  the  chord  of 
divine  love.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman. 

Humanity  loves  to  be  loved  for  itself,  and  under 
the  ragged  shirts  and  soiled  dresses  of  poor  outcast 
men  and  women  there  is  a  heart  that  wants  love 
just  as  much  as  you  want  love,  and  a  good  deal 
more,  because  they  haven't  had  it  and  you  have. 

S.  H.  Hadley. 

Where  is  the  secret  of  power?  In  my  college 
days  the  professor  of  natural  philosophy  used  to 
exhibit  his  great  horseshoe  magnet,  wound  about 
with  coils  of  wire.  He  hung  it  up,  charged  the  wire 
with  a  galvanic  current,  and  it  caught  up  and  held 
four  thousand  pounds.  He  signaled  to  his  assistant 
to  draw  off  the  current,  and  the  power  was  gone. 
My  brother,  encircle  your  soul  with  faith  and  let 
the  divine  electricity  of  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ 
charge  it.  Then  you  can  lift  anything;  you  can  do 
anything  that  God  wants  you  to  do.  Draw  it  off, 
and  you  are  a  shorn  Samson,  a  weakling. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

208 


DAY 

xvn 

Many  a  man  seeks  to  excuse  himself  for  his  sinful 
habits  by  saying,  ''  If  God  wants  me  to  be  good  and 
happy,  why  doesn't  he  make  me  good?"  We  can- 
not really  be  good  unless  we  might  be  evil.  We  are 
endowed  by  Almighty  God  with  the  awful  but  blessed 
prerogative  of  free  will,  and  God  will  not  ignore  that 
feature  of  his  image  with  which  he  has  endowed  us. 
He  would  not  have  us  serve  him  with  a  merely 
mechanical  obedience;  from  us  he  looks  for  a  moral 
obedience,  and  that  involves  preference.  The  hea- 
venly bodies  serve  God  with  an  undeviating  obedi- 
ence ;  to  them  he  has  given  a  law  which  cannot  be 
broken.  But  the  obedience  of  a  little  child  in 
some  trifling  matter  is  something  infinitely  higher, 
because  it  is  a  moral  act  of  surrender  of  will  to 
will.  We  can  only  become  pure  by  choosing  purity 
when  we  might  choose  self-indulgence.  We  can 
only  become  loving  when  we  sacrifice  ourselves  in 
one  way  or  another  for  others  when  we  might  cling 
to  our  own  self-interest.  We  can  only  become  really 
true  and  brave  when  we  stand  by  honor  and  truth 
when  we  might  gain  some  advantage  by  swerving 
from  truth,  by  compromise  or  concession.  Temp- 
tation is  necessary  for  the  moral  development  of 
a  moral  being.  A.  C.  A.  Hall. 

God  permits  temptation  because  it  does  for  us 
what  the  storms  do  for  the  oaks— it  roots  us;  and 
what  the  fire  does  for  the  painting  on  porcelain— it 
makes  us  permanent.  You  never  know  that  you 
have  a  grip  on  Christ  or  that  he  has  a  grip  on  you 
so  well  as  when  the  devil  is  using  all  his  force  to 
attract  you  from  him;  then  you  feel  the  pull  of 
Christ's  right  hand.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

209 


DAY 

xvm 


And  the  Lord  said,  Simon,  Simon,  behold,  Satan  hath  desired 
to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat:  but  I  have  prayed 
for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not.— Luke  xxii.  31,  32. 


And  Satan  was  permitted  to  have  Peter— not  to 
enter  and  possess  him,  as  he  did  Judas,  who  never 
was  a  child  of  God,  but  to  have  him  in  the  sense  of 
being  let  loose  upon  him  to  tempt  him  and  to  over- 
come him,  for  the  humbling  of  Peter's  pride  and  for 
sifting  out  his  self-confidence,  God  overruling  all  that 
Satan  did  for  Peter's  spiritual  good  and  God's  own 
glory. 

Peter's  experience  is  a  type  of  the  experience  of 
the  whole  church,  and  of  the  individuals  of  the 
church.  In  each  generation  of  its  history  the  church 
has  been  sifted  by  Satan.  He  changes  from  age  to 
age  the  agencies  employed,  but  his  malice  is  un- 
changed, and  the  results  are  still  the  same.  Perse- 
cution at  one  period;  prosperity  at  another.  Truth 
without  the  Holy  Spirit  in  one  age;  false  doctrine 
following.  Contempt  from  the  world  in  this  genera- 
tion; world  conformity  in  the  next.  Zeal  without 
knowledge,  breaking  out  into  fanaticism  and  dividing 
the  church;  knowledge  without  zeal,  ending  in  mate- 
rialism and  paralyzing  the  church.  Ecclesiasticism 
and  spiritual  oppression  dwarfing  the  church;  lawless 
liberty,  with  no  recognition  of  scriptural  authority, 
scattering  the  church.  Thus  the  body  of  Christ  has 
been,  and  is  being,  sifted,  and  will  continue  to  be 
sifted  unto  the  end.  What  the  Holy  Ghost  has  re- 
corded of  its  early  history,  he  has  prophesied  should 
be  its  experience  until  Satan  should  be  bound. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 

210 


^^r«fiM^^  ^.M^  DAY 


The  devil  ...  is  a  liar,  and  the  father  of  it.— John  viii.  44. 

The  great  tempter  of  men-has  two  lies  with  which 
he  plies  us  at  two  different  stages:  Before  we  have 
fallen  he  tells  us  that  one  fall  does  not  matter;  it  is 
a  trifle ;  w^e  can  easily  recover  ourselves  again.  After 
we  have  fallen  he  tells  us  that  it  is  hopeless;  we  are 
given  over  to  sin,  and  need  not  attempt  to  rise. 

It  is  a  terrible  falsehood  to  say  that  to  fall  once 
does  not  matter.  Even  by  one  fall  there  is  some- 
thing lost  that  can  never  be  recovered  again.  It  is 
like  the  breaking  of  an  infinitely  precious  vessel, 
which  may  be  mended,  but  will  never  be  again  as  if 
it  had  not  been  broken.  Again,  one  fall  leads  to 
others;  it  is  like  going  upon  very  slippery  ice  on  the 
face  of  a  hill;  even  in  the  attempt  to  rise  we  are 
carried  away  again  farther  than  ever.  Moreover, 
we  give  others  a  hold  over  us.  If  we  have  not  sinned 
alone,  to  have  sinned  once  involves  a  tacit  pledge 
that  we  will  sin  again,  and  it  is  often  almost  impos- 
sible to  get  out  of  such  a  false  position.  God  keep 
us  from  believing  the  devil's  lie,  that  to  fall  once 
does  not  matter. 

But  then,  if  we  have  fallen,  Satan  plies  us  with 
the  other  lie:  it  is  of  no  use  to  attempt  to  rise;  you 
cannot  overcome  your  besetting  sin.  This  is  falser 
still.  You  may  rise.  If  we  could  ascend  to  heaven 
to-day,  and  scan  the  ranks  of  the  blessed,  should  we 
not  find  multitudes  among  them  who  were  once  sunk 
low  as  man  can  fall  ?  But  they  are  washed,  they  are 
justified,  they  are  sanctified  through  the  blood  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God. 
And  so  may  we  be. 

James  Stalker. 

211 


DAY 
XX 


Put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  make  not  provision  for 
the  flesh,  to  fulfil  the  lusts  thereof.— Rom.  xiii.  14. 


Self-indulgence  is  the  besetting  sin  of  the  times; 
but  if  you  long  to  be  a  strong,  athletic  Christian,  you 
must  count  the  cost  and  renounce  the  things  of  the 
flesh.  It  will  cost  you  the  cutting  up  of  some  old 
favorite  sins  by  the  roots,  and  the  cutting  loose  from 
some  entangling  alliances,  and  some  sharp  conflicts 
with  the  tempter;  it  will  cost  you  the  submitting  of 
your  will  to  the  will  of  Christ;  but  you  will  gain  more 
than  you  ever  gave  up. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

Every  permitted  sin  incrusts  the  windows  of  the 
soul  and  blinds  our  vision,  and  every  victory  over  evil 
clears  the  vision  of  the  soul,  so  that  we  can  see  God 
a  little  plainer.  The  unholy  man  could  not  see  God 
if  he  were  set  down  in  the  midst  of  heaven;  but  men 
and  women  whose  hearts  are  pure  see  him  in  the  very 
commonest  walks  of  life. 

J.  Wilbur  Chapman. 

If  I  have  not  victory  over  myself,  I  am  the  last  man 
to  help  somebody  else.  Appetite  is  very  good  in  its 
place,  but  out  of  its  place  it  becomes  my  foe.  Fire 
is  a  very  good  friend  to  man  if  it  is  his  servant,  but 
when  it  becomes  his  master  it  is  his  enemy.  Water 
is  very  good— you  cannot  live  without  it— when  it 
is  under  your  control,  but  when  it  controls  you  it  is 
your  ruin.  The  lust  of  the  flesh  will  either  conquer 
me,  or  I  must  conquer  lust. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

212 


DAY 
XXI 


Be  not  conformed  to  this  world:  but  be  ye  transformed  by  the 
renewing  of  your  mind,  that  ye  may  prove  what  is  that  good,  and 
acceptable,  and  perfect  will  of  God.— Rom.  xii.  2. 

Offer  yourselves  to  the  Lord,  and  keep  offering, 
and  you  will  find  that  you  are  delivered  out  of  the 
hand  of  your  enemy,  both  the  attacking  enemy  and 
the  seductive  enemy.  The  world  says,  "  Come  and 
have  a  little  dance,  a  little  gambling,  a  little  pleasure. 
We  will  not  gamble  for  dollars,  but  let  us  put  up  a 
few  cents  on  a  game  of  v/hist."  AVhat  we  must  say 
is,  "  I  am  doing  a  great  work,  and  I  cannot  go  down. 
I  am  building  the  walls  of  Jerusalem."  You  need 
not  ask  whether  it  is  ^^Tong  to  go  to  a  ball  or  the 
theater.  Preach  Christ,  live  for  Christ,  look  for 
Christ,  and  walk  with  Christ,  and  the  world  will  very 
soon  drop  you.  Faith  in  a  living  Christ  will  keep  us 
from  the  world. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

You  will  notice  that  in  the  placid  waters  of  a  lake 
everything  which  is  highest  in  reality  is  lowest  in  the 
reflection.  The  higher  the  trees,  the  lower  their 
image.  That  is  the  picture  of  this  world;  what  is 
highest  in  this  world  is  lowest  in  the  other,  and  what 
is  highest  in  that  world  is  lowest  in  this.  Gold  is 
on  top  here;  they  pave  the  streets  with  it  there.  To 
serve  is  looked  upon  as  ignoble  here;  there  those  that 
serve  reign,  and  the  last  are  first.  Any  girl  is  will- 
ing to  fling  away  paste  diamonds  for  the  real  stones; 
when  a  man  understands  what  God  can  be  to  the 
soul,  he  loses  his  taste  for  things  he  used  to  care  for 
most. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

213 


DAY 

xxn 


There  are  two  marks  of  a  little  child.  One  is  that 
a  little  child  cannot  help  himself,  but  is  always  keep- 
ing others  occupied  to  serve  him.  What  a  little 
tyrant  a  baby  often  is!  The  mother  cannot  go  out; 
there  must  be  a  servant  to  nurse  it;  it  needs  to  be 
cared  for  constantly.  God  made  a  man  to  care  for 
others,  but  the  baby  was  made  to  be  cared  for  and 
to  be  helped.  So  there  are  Christians  who  always 
want  help.  Their  pastor  and  their  Christian  friends 
must  always  be  teaching  and  comforting  them. 
They  go  to  church  and  to  prayer-meetings  and  to 
conventions,  always  wanting  to  be  helped— a  sign  of 
spiritual  infancy. 

The  other  sign  of  an  infant  is  this :  he  can  do  noth- 
ing to  help  his  fellow-man.  Every  man  is  expected 
to  contribute  something  to  the  welfare  of  society; 
every  one  has  a  place  to  fill,  and  a  work  to  do;  but 
the  babe  can  do  nothing  for  the  common  weal.  It 
is  just  so  with  Christians.  How  little  some  can  do! 
They  take  a  part  in  so-called  work,  but  how  little 
sign  there  is  that  they  are  exercising  spiritual  power 
and  carrying  a  real  blessing! 

Andrew  Murray. 


There  are  hundreds  of  members  in  our  churches 
who  injure  the  cause  of  Christ  every  time  they  get 
up  to  speak  in  meetings,  because  they  are  jealous, 
unforgiving,  and  backsliding,  and  live  too  much  like 
the  world.  What  we  want  in  our  churches  are  mem- 
bers who  are  filled  with  grace  and  who  live  up  to 
what  they  preach. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

214 


DAY 

xxni 


A  young  girl  who  had  been  born  blind  was  utterly 
ignorant  of  the  fact  that  she  was  blind  until  she  was 
eight  or  ten  years  of  age.  All  her  training  had  in 
view  the  concealment  of  the  fact  that  she  was  differ- 
ent from  other  children,  and,  as  she  had  never  seen^ 
she  did  not  know  what  it  was  to  see  or  not  to  see. 
She  used  freely  the  language  of  sight  with  her  own 
ideas  of  that  language.  She  spoke  of  being  glad  to 
see  those  whom  she  met,  and  of  being  pleased  with 
their  looks;  of  enjoying  the  sunlight  and  the  clear 
sky  and  the  fine  scenery  after  a  storm  had  passed 
away.  So  little  thought  had  she  that  she  was  walk- 
ing in  darkness  that,  on  one  occasion,  when  a  stranger 
spoke  out  pityingly  in  her  hearing  of  her  misfortune, 
she  ran  merrily  to  her  parents  and  said,  "  There's  a 
little  girl  over  there  who  says  I  am  blind.  I  think 
I  can  see  as  well  as  she  can."  There  is  a  great  deal 
of  such  training  in  the  world  of  morals. 

Orientals  are  taught  from  infancy  that  lying  to  an 
enemy,  or  where  anything  can  be  made  by  lying,  is 
a  duty,  and  they  try  to  attend  to  that  duty.  Ameri- 
can Indians  are  taught  that  a  man's  character  is  best 
rated  by  the  scalps  he  can  show,  so  they  risk  their 
lives  for  scalps.  The  Dyaks  of  Borneo  are  taught 
that  skulls  are  worthier  trophies  than  scalps,  and 
they  "  hunt  heads  "  accordingly.  Our  fathers  were 
taught  that  human  slavery  was  a  divine  institution, 
and  that  rum  was  to  be  swallowed  gratefully  as  a 
"  gift  of  God,"  and  they  lived  up  to  those  teachings. 
How  can  men's  consciences  discern  truth  from 
error  on  points  where  their  instruction  from  the 
beginning  has  been  as  much  at  fault  as  in  these  in- 
stances? We  all  are  sadly  in  need  of  being  taught 
of  God.  Henry  Clay  Trumbull. 

215 


DAY 
XXIV 

There  are  many  Christians  who  seem  to  think, 
"  How  little  can  I  do,  and  yet  keep  up  a  respectable 
appearance  in  the  community,  and  finally  be  saved? " 
Perhaps  some  one  of  you  says,  ''  Well,  I  hope  I  was 
converted  several  years  ago.  I  joined  the  church,  I 
come  to  the  sacrament,  I  never  brought  any  scandal 
on  religion— never;  I  lead  a  respectable  life.  If,  at 
the  last,  saved  by  grace,  I  can  get  through  the  door 
into  heaven,  I  shall  be  satisfied."  Do  you  think  you 
will?  No!  you  never  vrill  he— never!  If,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  you  are,  as  the  saying  goes,  "saved 
by  the  skin  of  your  teeth,"  and  once  get  inside  of  the 
pearly  gates,  and  look  up  and  see  Paul  and  all  the 
apostles  and  martyrs  and  prophets  and  evangelists, 
Luther  and  Calvin  and  the  Wesleys  and  Spurgeon, 
and  all  that  glorious  array;  and  not  only  these,  but 
some  poor,  hard-working  washerwoman  that,  at  the 
end  of  a  day's  toil,  dragged  herself  away  to  a  prayer- 
meeting,  and  at  the  end  of  the  week  carried  her  little 
pile  of  rags  to  a  mission  school— when  you  look  at 
these,  you  will  be  so  ashamed  of  yourself  that  you 
will  ask  God  to  let  you  come  back  and  work  out  your 
salvation.  Satisfied?  God  have  mercy  on  any  one 
who  is  satisfied  with  himself  or  herself!  May  the 
Holy  Spirit  give  us  all  a  holy  dissatisfaction  with  our 
condition,  and  a  desire  to  rise  and  go  forward. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

If  you  do  not  indulge  in  godly  sorrow,  is  it  not 
likely  you  are  losing  a  good  deal  of  sanctification? 
Have  we  nothing  to  repent  of?  No  wasted  hours? 
How  little  we  have  done  for  God!  Ah,  that  we  had 
prayed  more! 

Andrew  Bonar. 

216 


DAY 
XXV 

Archbishop  Ussher,  in  his  declining  years,  had  a 
room  built  -s^ith  windows  facing  the  east,  south,  and 
west,  so  that  he  could  warm  himself  by  the  rays  of 
the  sun.  In  the  morning  he  stationed  himself  at  the 
east  window,  at  noon  at  the  south  -vsindow,  and  in  the 
evening  at  the  west  window,  where  he  could  watch 
the  setting  of  the  sun.  The  west  window  w^as  at 
that  time  symbolical  of  the  setting  of  his  sun  of  life. 
But  sunrise  follows  the  setting  of  the  sun,  and  the 
sunset  of  life  is  the  sunrise  of  immortality. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

What  was  the  outlook  for  the  child  of  God?  Ask 
Paul  as  he  sits  in  the  Mamertine  prison,  a  deep 
dungeon  with  only  a  ray  of  light.  He  stood  or  lay 
there  for  three  years,  most  of  the  time  with  a  chain 
on  his  hand  and  a  soldier  w^atching  by  his  side.  I 
notice  that  his  face  glows  with  rapture,  and,  as  he 
wTites,  his  pen  almost  catches  fire  in  the  speed  of  its 
flight.  ''Blessed  apostle,  w^hat  of  the  outcome?" 
"That  is  just  w'hat  I  am  writing:  'I  have  fought 
the  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  my  depar- 
ture is  at  hand:  henceforth  a  crowm.' "  "  Is  that  all 
you  see— a  crown?  For  I  see  a  man  w^aiting  with 
a  sword  just  outside  the  city  gate  to  take  off  your 
head.  Do  you  hear  anything  in  particular,  Paul? 
For  I  hear  the  crunching  of  bones  and  groans  in 
that  den  of  beasts."  "  Since  you  speak  of  it,  I  do 
hear  the  w^elcome  of  innumerable  harpers,  harping  to 
welcome  me  home."  That  was  the  salvation  which 
Paul  had,  and  in  the  joy  and  light  of  which  he  stead- 
ily lived,  and  which,  in  God's  name,  I  commend  to  you. 

Cyrus  D.  Foss. 

217 


DAY 
XXVI 

Our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  abolished  death,  and  hath 
brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  through  the  gospel.— 2  Tim. 
1.10. 

How  can  Christ  have  abolished  death  ?  Christians 
die  as  really  as  others.  We  know  of  but  two  per- 
sons of  all  the  race  of  Adam  who  have  been  ex- 
empted from  dying. 

The  English  Parliament  decreed,  August  1, 1836,  to 
abolish  slavery  in  the  West  Indies,  but  the  decree  did 
not  go  into  effect  until  one  year  later.  During  that 
year  the  slave  was  still  under  the  whip  of  his  master, 
and  all  went  on  as  in  the  old  slavery  days.  But  on 
July  31,  1837,  twenty  thousand  slaves  met  together 
in  Jamaica.  They  put  on  white  robes,  and  at  eleven 
o'clock  they  knelt  down  and  waited  for  one  hour  with 
upturned  faces.  When  the  clock  struck  twelve  these 
white-robed  slaves  rose  up  and  shouted,  "  We  are 
free!  we  are  free!"  Slavery  was  abolished  by  en- 
actment a  year  before,  but  now  it  was  abolished  in 
fact.  In  Revelation  vi.  9,  10,  we  read,  "  I  saw  un- 
derneath the  altar  the  souls  of  them  that  had  been 
slain  for  the  Word  of  God :  .  .  .  and  they  cried  with  a 
great  voice,  saying.  How  long,  0  Master,  the  holy  and 
true,  dost  thou  not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on 
them  that  dwell  on  the  earth  ?  "  They  wanted  the 
resurrection  bodies.  They  were  tired  of  waiting, 
though  they  were  in  Paradise  beholding  his  face  in 
glory.  "  And  white  robes  were  given  unto  every  one 
of  them;  and  it  was  said  unto  them,  that  they  should 
rest  yet  for  a  little  season,  until  their  fellow-servants 
also  and  their  brethren,  that  should  be  killed  as 
they  were,  should  be  fulfilled."  0  ye  martyrs,  be 
not  impatient;  there  is  another  company  of  martyrs 
coming  on;  wait  for  them!  A.  J.  Gordon. 

218 


DAY 

xxvn 

He  that  overcometh  shall  inherit  all  things;  and  I  will  be  his 
God,  and  he  shall  be  my  son. — Rev.  xxi.  7. 

Perhaps  you  didn't  know  that  I  was  a  millionaire. 
I  don't  know  how  many  millions  I  own.  They  say 
the  Rothschilds  can't  tell  within  millions  how  much 
they  are  worth.  That  is  just  my  condition.  All  the 
wealth  of  this  world  and  all  the  planets— everything 
—is  mine;  I  am  joint-heir  with  Jesus  Christ.  Find 
out  what  Jesus  Christ  is  worth,  and  I  will  tell  you 
what  I  am  worth.  *'He  that  overcometh  shall  in- 
herit all  things;  and  I  will  be  his  God,  and  he  shall 
be  my  son."     Think  of  that— the  son  of  God! 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Battles  are  not  won  by  lectures  on  gunpowder.  It 
is  no  holiday  work  to  which  we  are  called,  no  dress- 
parade  service.  It  cost  the  Son  of  God  his  life  to 
witness  for  his  Father  here  in  this  sinful  world,  and 
he  says,  "  Whosoever  doth  not  bear  his  cross,  and 
come  after  me,  cannot  be  my  disciple."  Spirit-filled 
men  and  women  have  always  been,  and  always  will 
be,  cross-bearing  men  and  women.  When  Paul  was 
called  to  service,  he  was  told  of  a  great  work  which 
God  would  do  through  him,  and  there  was  added  to 
the  message,  ''  I  will  show  him  how  great  things  he 
must  suffer  for  my  name's  sake."  Before  Stephen 
received  his  crown  he  had  to  bear  the  cross.  We 
are  quite  willing  to  share  his  crown,  but  how  about 
his  cross?  D.  W.  Whittle. 


You  must  take  possession  of  Christ  for  salvation, 
but  to  win  a  crown  Christ  must  take  possession  of 
you.  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

219 


DAY 

XX  vm 


There  are  resources  at  God's  command  which  men 
nowadays  seldom  take  into  account.  One  can  hardly 
speak  in  the  nineteenth  century  about  angels,  we 
have  become  so  materialistic— we  have  got  so  "ad- 
vanced." ''Oh,  supernatural  stories!"  Men  come 
to  us  with  hypocritical  faces  and  say,  "  If  you  would 
suppress  all  this  about  angels  and  heavenly  powers, 
and  interference  with  the  natural  order  of  things, 
and  reduce  your  Book  to  what  undoubtedly  is  in  it, 
a  very  valuable  collection  of  ethical  maxims,  well, 
then  we  might  accept  it."  Thank  you,  sir,  for  noth- 
ing. If  we  could  take  all  the  bones  out  of  it,  what 
a  beautiful  jellyfish  it  would  be!  No;  we  keep  in  the 
miraculous;  it  is  the  very  strength  and  mainstay  of 
revelation;  it  is  all  miraculous.  The  angels  are  here 
still,  although  we  do  not  see  them.  Although  they 
do  not  come  into  actual  contact  with  us,  and  with 
gracious  violence  smite  our  sides,  and  wake  us  up, 
and  lead  us  forth  past  all  peril  into  safety,  still  un- 
seen they  stand  about  us,  and  still  God  has  a  thou- 
sand thousand  resources  at  his  hand  for  the  marvel- 
ous preservation  of  his  people.  "  We  are  immortal 
till  our  work  is  done." 

John  McNeill. 


God  does  not  work  miracles,  and  God  does  not  send 
angels  to  do  that  for  which  he  has  already  provided 
means.  He  will  not  send  his  angel  to  snatch  us  from 
some  temptation  into  which  we  deliberately  run  any 
more  than  he  will  send  his  angel  to  avert  the  pesti- 
lence or  the  scarlet  fever  if  we  neglect  to  keep  our 
sanitary  conditions  pure. 

A.  C.  A.  Hall. 
220 


DAY 
XXIX 

It  is  not  enough  that  we  shall  know  what  the 
Bible  says,  but  we  want  to  know  that  the  Bible  has 
a  right  to  be  respected  when  it  speaks;  we  want  to 
know  how  it  came  into  existence,  and  by  what  right 
it  holds  its  present  position  in  our  thought.  Of 
course  apostolic  Christianity  has  been  supernatural 
Christianity,  and  prayer-meeting  Christianity  has 
been  supernatural  Christianity,  and  ecclesiastical 
Christianity  has  been  supernatural  Christianity,  and 
martyr  Christianity  has  been  supernatural  Chris- 
tianity; and  the  Christianity  that  is  robbed  of  its 
supernaturalness  \vill  be  a  Christianity  for  which  the 
world  will  have  very  little  use  after  a  short  time. 
The  question  which  men  are  raising,  therefore,  in- 
volves the  inquiry  whether  the  Christian  world  has 
been  the  victim  of  a  great  delusion. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 


If  apostolic  Christianity  were  to  die,  it  would  have 
died  long  ago.  It  has  had  many  good  chances  to 
die— better  chances  than  it  will  ever  have  again.  It 
would  have  been  bound  to  the  stake  with  the  early 
martyrs,  have  expired  in  their  ashes,  and  have  been 
entombed  in  the  graves  of  her  first  and  last  apostles. 
But  "all  true  work,"  as  Carlyle  has  said,  "hang 
the  author  of  it  on  w^hat  gibbet  you  like,  must  and 
will  accomplish  itself." 

L.  T.  TOWNSEND. 


Religion  is  not  a  strange  or  added  thing,  but 
the  inspiration  of  the  secular  life,  the  breathing  of 
an  eternal  spirit  through  this  temporal  world. 

Henry  Drummond. 

221 


DAY 
XXX 

People  read  infidel  books  and  wonder  why  they 
are  unbelievers.  Why  do  they  read  such  books? 
They  say  that  to  form  an  unprejudiced  opinion 
they  must  read  both  sides.  If  a  book  is  a  lie,  how 
can  it  be  one  side?    Infidel  books  are  not  one  side. 

D.  L.  Moody. 


Agnosticism  is  simply  not  believing;  it  is  denial, 
negation,  darkness.  There  is  only  one  cure  for  dark- 
ness, and  that  is  coming  to  the  light.  If  you  will 
persist  in  putting  your  eyes  out  or  in  barring  God's 
daylight  out,  there  is  no  help  for  you;  you  must  die 
in  the  dark.  Sin  has  made  your  soul  sick,  and  if  you 
will  not  even  try  Christ's  medicine,  then  the  blood- 
poisoning  of  infidelity  will  run  its  fatal  course. 
Neither  skepticism  nor  agnosticism  ever  won  a  vic- 
tory, ever  slew  a  sin,  ever  healed  a  heartache,  ever 
produced  a  ray  of  sunshine,  ever  saved  an  immortal 
soul.  Unbelief  is  foredoomed  to  defeat;  do  not  risk 
your  eternity  on  that  spider's  web. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 


The  torrent  of  the  love  of  God  is  pouring  into 
your  human  nature,  and  there  is  an  incarnation 
begun  in  your  home  by  the  love  of  God.  You  know 
that  God  is  love  when  you  begin  to  live  a  life  of  love. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  I  often  find  that  people  who 
doubt  that  the  nature  of  God  is  love  are  the  people 
who  are  unmerciful,  untender,  austere,  and  harsh. 
Men  throw  on  God  the  hues  of  their  own  characters. 
Oh,  that  God  may  make  us  godlike,  that  we  may 
know  God! 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

222 


DAY 
XXXI 

God  has  made  us  with  two  eyes,  both  intended  to 
be  used  so  as  to  see  one  object.  Binocular  vision  is 
the  perfection  of  sight.  There  is  a  corresponding 
truth  in  the  spiritual  sphere.  We  have  two  faculties 
for  the  apprehension  of  spiritual  truth— reasoTi  and 
faith;  the  former  intellectual,  the  latter  largely  in- 
tuitive, emotional.  Reason  asks,  How?  wherefore? 
Faith  accepts  testimony  and  rests  upon  the  person 
who  bears  witness. 

Now  reason  and  faith  often  seem  in  conflict,  but 
are  not.  Reason  prepares  the  way  for  faith,  and 
then  both  act  jointly.  We  are  not  called  to  exercise 
blind  faith,  but  to  be  ready  always  to  give  answer  to 
every  man  who  asks  a  reason. 

There  are  three  questions  which  belong  to  reason 
to  answer:  First,  is  the  Bible  the  Book  of  God? 
Second,  what  does  it  teach?  Third,  what  relation 
has  its  teaching  to  my  duty?  When  these  are 
settled,  faith  accepts  the  Word  as  authoritative,  and 
no  longer  stumbles  at  its  mysteries,  but,  rather,  ex- 
pects that  God's  thoughts  will  be  above  our  thoughts. 
Thus,  where  reason's  province  ends  faith's  begins. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

Verily,  theology  without  the  Holy  Ghost  is  poison; 
there  have  been  more  men  ruined  by  handling  the 
deep  things  of  God  without  the  Spirit  of  God  to  help 
them  than  by  any  other  process  that  I  am  aware  of. 
The  light  is  made  for  the  eye;  but  if  the  eye  is 
diseased,  the  light  becomes  intolerably  painful;  it 
torments  the  eye.  So  the  truth  is  made  for  the  soul ; 
but  if  our  soul  is  unsanctified,  that  which  ought  to 
come  to  it  as  its  own  native  air  hurts,  injures, 
destroys.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

223 


Take  time  to  be  holy, 

Speak  oft  with  thy  Lord; 
Abide  in  him  always, 

And  feed  on  his  Word; 
Make  friends  of  God's  children, 

Help  those  who  are  weak, 
Forgetting  in  nothing 

His  blessing  to  seek. 

Take  time  to  be  holy. 

The  world  rushes  on; 
Spend  much  time  in  secret 

With  Jesus  alone; 
By  looking  to  Jesus, 

Like  him  thou  shalt  be; 
Thy  friends  in  thy  conduct 

His  likeness  shall  see. 

Take  time  to  be  holy, 

Let  him  be  thy  Guide, 
And  run  not  before  him, 

Whatever  betide; 
In  joy  or  in  sorrow. 

Still  follow  thy  Lord, 
And,  looking  to  Jesus, 

Still  trust  in  his  word. 

Take  time  to  be  holy. 

Be  calm  in  thy  soul, 
Each  thought  and  each  motive 

Beneath  his  control; 
Thus  led  by  his  Spirit 

To  fountains  of  love. 
Thou  soon  shalt  be  fitted 

For  service  above. 

W.  D.  LONGSTAFF. 
224 


[Month  of  zA II gust 

(Maidenhair  Fern 
H.  IV.  IVibb-Teploe  The  Aiiditonum 


Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in 
heaven  is  perfect.— Matt.  v.  48. 

A  man  is  called  into  existence  to  enjoy  fellowship 
and  union  ^vith  God;  to  know  God  until  he  becomes 
in  some  sense  the  representative  of  God.  Should 
there,  then,  not  always  be  present  to  man's  mind  this 
one  thought:  "  I  am  created  for  God;  I  am  to  repre- 
sent God  to  the  things  below  me;  I  am  to  walk  in 
oneness  with  God;  the  ambition  of  my  soul  is  so  to 
be  the  very  reflector  of  God  that  I  become  one  with 
him,  and  yet  remain  a  creature  to  the  end  of  eter- 
nity"? If  that  be  the  standard  it  is  e\ident  that 
something  must  be  done  to  meet  man's  present  cir- 
cumstances and  to  bring  them  into  accord  ^vith  what 
God  requires,  which  is  nothing  less  than  perfection. 
Our  holiness  is  the  extent  to  v/hich  we  carry  out  that 
perfection. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

Many  souls  are  being  exercised  about  holiness, 
but  not  equally  about  righteousness.  Holiness  is 
the  hidden  thing  we  cannot  see;  righteousness  is 
the  manifestation  of  holiness  in  act  and  life. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

It  is  the  law  of  influence  that  we  become  like  those 
whom  we  habitually  admire.  .  .  .  Through  all  the 
range  of  literature,  of  history,  and  of  biography  this 
law  presides.  Men  are  all  mosaics  of  other  men. 
There  was  a  savor  of  David  about  Jonathan,  and  a 
savor  of  Jonathan  about  David.  Jean  Valjean,  in 
the  masterpiece  of  Victor  Hugo,  is  Bishop  Bienvenu 
risen  from  the  dead.     Metempsychosis  is  a  fact. 

Henry  Drummond. 

225 


DAY 

n 


Difficulties  are  the  parents  of  all  progress.  Things 
"  hard  to  be  understood  "  is  the  price  paid  for  all 
\Yisdom.  A  religion  without  difficulties  never  came 
from  the  Author  of  nature.  For  the  last  three  thou- 
sand years  no  pagan  worship  has  contained  anything 
''  hard  to  be  understood."  The  regions  of  the  dead 
have  made  as  much  mental  progress  as  the  genera- 
tions of  the  living.  Twenty-five  hundred  years  be- 
fore Christ  China  made  gunpowder,  and  yet  has  gone 
no  further  than  to  blaze  it  away  in  fire-crackers. 
Two  thousand  years  before  the  Christian  era  she  had 
the  magnet,  and  yet  a  Chinese  junk  never  crossed 
the  ocean  unless  she  v^^as  towed  by  a  Christian  ship. 
Show  us  one  step  in  mental  or  moral  progress  for 
two  thousand  years  outside  of  where  the  Bible  cir- 
culates. It  contains  the  germs  of  all  natural  and 
scientific  progress. 

I.  D.  Driver. 


There  are  certain  immutable  elements  in  the  primi- 
tive Christian  faith,  as  there  are  in  nature,  which 
never  have  changed,  and  never  can  change,  and 
which  will  never  outgrow  the  passions  and  loves  of 
the  human  soul.  The  beauty  of  a  mild  sunset,  the 
sublimity  of  a  midnight  heaven,  the  dazzle  of  light- 
nings playing  across  the  sky,  the  repose  and  beauty 
of  a  lily  clad  in  raiment  surpassing  that  of  any  pres- 
ent or  future  Solomon  in  all  his  glory,  will  not  be  out- 
grown, though  society  should  exist  in  a  state  of  con- 
stant progress  for  ten  thousand  years. 

L.  T.  TOWNSEND. 


DAY 

m 


It  is  sometimes  said  to  us,  in  the  name  of  science, 
"  Let  us  distribute  the  territory  in  which  science  and 
religion  claim  undivided  interests.  You  religious 
people  may  take  your  part,  and  we  scientific  people 
will  take  our  share.  We  will  be  generous  with  you : 
we  will  let  you  have  the  unexplored  dark  continent 
of  don't-knowdom,  and  we  will  keep  the  little  island 
of  ascertained  fact."  But  Christian  apologists  very 
properly  decline  the  offer.  They  say,  ''We  are 
going  to  take  possession  of  the  entire  continent  of 
thought,  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Let  us  understand  it;  reli- 
gion is  not  afraid;  she  does  not  ask  for  any  specific 
arithmetic  or  grammar  or  exceptional  canons  of 
evidence;  all  she  needs,  as  Chief  Justice  Gibson 
once  said,  is  a  common-law  trial  and  a  fair  jury. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 


Paul  was  a  great  man  of  logic.  He  was  a  wonder- 
ful man  to  argue.  This  is  true,  but  never,  never 
think  of  the  great  apostle  as  one  of  those  poor  ped- 
dling creatures  called  "  logicians."  Logic  is  a  very 
shriveling  science  when  there  is  nothing  but  itself. 
Never  dream  of  Paul  as  being  simply  one  of  your 
argumentative,  dry  logicians.  Paul  was  a  volcano 
in  a  perpetual  state  of  activity.  Logic?  Aye;  but 
logic  set  on  fire  with  love  to  Christ  and  with  love  to 
the  souls  of  men. 

John  McNeill. 


227 


DAY 
IV 


See  then  that  ye  walk  circumspectly,  not  as  fools,  but  as  wise, 
redeeming  the  time,  because  the  days  are  evil.— Eph.  v.  15,  16. 

The  words,  ''  redeeming  the  time,"  are  not  fairly- 
translated.  They  mean  "  buying  up  the  opportunity." 
Be  on  the  lookout  for  opportunities.  The  saddest 
part  of  our  record,  I  fear,  is  that  we  have  let  precious 
opportunities  flow  by  us,  never  to  be  recalled.  Think 
of  the  opportunities  you  have  had  to  say  a  word  to 
an  impenitent  soul,  or  some  word  of  comfort  to  a 
friend,  or  to  testify  for  Christ.  The  specter  I  most 
fear  is  the  ghost  of  lost  opportunities.  Be  on  the 
lookout  for  opportunities,  and  you  will  never  know 
just  what  blessing  is  going  to  burst  on  you.  A  poor 
itinerant  Methodist  minister  went  to  Colchester  to 
preach.  It  was  a  cold  day,  and  he  found  only  fifteen 
or  twenty  people  in  that  primitive  little  chapel.  He 
went  up  into  the  pulpit  and  took  for  his  text,  "  Look 
unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved."  The  whole  sermon  was 
only  a  repetition  of  the  one  thought,  look  to  Christ. 
"  A  young  lad  up  in  the  gallery  looks  very  sad.  He 
will  never  get  any  comfort  until  he  looks  to  Christ." 
Heaven  knows  who  that  boy  in  the  gallery  was;  the 
world  knows;  but  from  that  day  Charles  H.  Spurgeon 
never  saw  that  preacher  again.  He  went  his  way. 
He  did  his  work.  Spurgeon  has  already  met  him  in 
heaven,  I  doubt  not.  Oh,  would  not  life  be  worth  liv- 
ing if  a  stray  shot  of  ours  should  bring  a  Spurgeon 
to  the  Saviour  ?  Who  knows!  Who  knows!  If  you 
have  consecrated  yourself  to  the  work  of  lifting  up 
the  Saviour,  how  do  you  know  who  is  to  look  to  him 
and  be  saved? 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

228 


DAY 

V 


Lord,  increase  our  faith.— Luke  xvii.  5. 


All  faith  which  has  Christ  for  its  object  is  the 
right  kind  of  faith. 

If  you  want  your  faith  to  grow  there  are  four 
rules  that  you  must  adopt:  First,  be  willing  to  have 
a  great  faith.  When  men  say  they  cannot  believe, 
ask,  "Are  you  willing  to  believe?"  because  if  the 
will  is  toward  faith  the  Holy  Ghost  will  produce  a 
great  faith.  Second,  use  the  faith  you  have;  the 
child's  arm,  with  its  slender  muscles,  will  not  be 
able  to  wield  the  sledge-hammer  unless  he  begins 
step  by  step  to  use  it.  Do  not,  therefore,  stand  on 
the  boat's  edge  and  wait  to  be  able  to  swim  a  mile, 
but  throw  yourself  out  from  its  side  into  the  water 
and  swim  a  yard  or  two;  for  it  is  in  these  smaller 
efforts  that  you  are  to  be  prepared  for  the  greater 
and  mightier  exploits.  Third,  be  sure  to  put  God 
between  yourself  and  circumstances.  Everything 
depends  on  w^here  you  put  God.  There  are  three 
matters  to  consider  in  the  case— yourself,  your  owti 
position,  and  God's  position  and  the  position  of  the 
circumstances  with  wiiich  you  have  to  deal.  Most 
men  put  circumstances  betw^een  themselves  and  God 
so  much  that  they  can  hardly  see  God  at  all,  or  if 
they  do  see  him  it  is  like  looking  at  a  landscape 
through  a  reversed  telescope,  w^hich  makes  it  seem 
at  a  great  distance.  But  there  are  other  wiser  and 
happier  souls  who  put  God  between  themselves  and 
circumstances,  and  at  once,  when  one  looks  out 
through  God  upon  circumstances,  that  which  before 
had  almost  paralyzed  him  becomes  infinitesimal  and 
unw^orthy  of  his  dread.  Fourth,  live  a  life  of  daily 
obedience  to  God's  will.  Observe  these  rules  and 
your  faith  will  grow.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

229 


DAY 
VI 


Many  there  be  who  say  of  my  soul,  There  is  no  help  for  him 
in  God.— Ps.  iii.  2. 

That  is  the  last  and  deadliest  arrow  in  Satan's 
quiver;  when  that  thought  comes  then  the  old  guard 
of  hell  has  burst  upon  your  soul.  That  shot  goes 
home  all  the  more,  proves  itself  to  be  all  the  more 
deadly,  if  there  is  something  in  your  own  heart  that 
only  too  sadly  inclines  to  say  the  same  thing  as  the 
voices  from  without.  But  wait  a  minute  and  think 
of  it.  What  an  awful  silence  comes  into  one's  heart! 
What  a  midnight  this  day  would  be  if  it  were  true! 
But  it  is  not.  David  does  not  argue;  he  ignores  it 
and  goes  on,  "  But  thou,  0  Lord,  art  a  shield  for  me; 
my  glory,  and  the  lifter  up  of  mine  head."  There  is 
no  use  trying  to  argue  down  some  thoughts  and 
temptations.  If  this  desertion  and  abandonment  by 
God  is  true  then  hell  has  come.  There  is  no  time  to 
argue ;  I  must  instantly  destroy  it.  So  David  meets 
a  very  positive  statement  by  another  equally  positive. 
When  any  thought  comes  to  you  and  says,  "  There 
is  no  help  for  you  even  in  God,"  that  messenger  has 
shown  the  cloven  hoof.  He  has  not  only  done  it,  but 
he  has  overdone  it.  It  is  not  true.  Then  let  these 
voices  be  the  voices  of  so  many  liars  unto  you. 
When  they  say,  "  There  is  no  help  in  Absalom,"  quite 
right;  when  they  say, "  Ahithophel  has  turned  treach- 
erous," I  do  not  doubt  it;  "Shimei  is  cursing  you," 
perfectly  true;  when  they  say,  "You  are  an  old 
hypocrite,"  quite  right;  but  when  they  say,  "God 
has  cast  you  off,"  get  thee  behind  me,  Satan!  Liar! 
Worse  than  I  am  is  the  voice  that  would  dare  to 
speak  against  the  faithfulness  of  my  Redeemer,  God. 
"  He  abideth  faithful."  John  McNeill. 

230 


DAY 

vn 


Who  is  among  you  .  .  .  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  hath  no 
light?  let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  stay  upon  his 
God.— Isa.  1.  10. 


If  we  can  put  our  trust  in  God  when  we  are  in 
total  darkness,  when  may  we  not  trust  him?  Some- 
times we  are  called  upon  to  trust  in  God  when  he 
seems  to  go  right  back  against  all  his  promises. 
That  is  trusting  him  in  the  darkness.  Weak  faith 
will  judge  God's  promises  by  one's  feelings,  by  one's 
evidences,  when  we  ought  to  judge  the  feelings  and 
the  evidences  by  the  promises.  As  long  as  I  have 
the  promises,  God  give  me  grace  to  trust  in  him, 
whatever  befall,  and  bid  my  soul  keep  still,  knowing 
that  he  will  never  fail. 

Marcus  Rainsford. 


Faith  is  the  soul's  organ  of  vision  and  hearing  and 
touch.  By  faith  we  behold  and  hear  and  take  hold 
on  God.  Hence  the  reality  and  power  of  all  com- 
munion with  God  depend  on  how  far  we  believe  his 
own  word  of  promise. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 


I  use  my  Bible  as  I  use  my  check-book  in  the  bank, 
only  with  this  difference:  I  have  to  tear  a  leaf  out 
every  time  I  cash  a  check,  and  can't  use  it  a  second 
time;  but  in  taking  from  this  book  I  can  leave  the 
leaf  in  and  use  it  again  and  again.  It  is  a  sort  of 
circulating  letter;  you  never  come  to  the  end  of  it. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 


231 


DAY 

vm 


Going  through  the  magnificent  Rocky  Mountain 
scenery  some  time  ago,  we  plunged  into  the  Royal 
Gorge,  and  later  s\vung  into  the  Grand  Canon,  and 
it  seemed  to  me  that  scenery  more  sublime  could  not 
be  found  in  all  the  world.  If  I  had  never  been  im- 
pressed before  with  the  existence  of  God,  I  should 
have  cried  out  unto  him  in  the  midst  of  those  moun- 
tain-peaks. Every  one  in  the  car,  with  one  single 
exception,  was  gazing  in  rapt  admiration.  This  one 
woman  was  intently  reading  a  book,  and  did  not  lift 
her  eyes  once  from  the  printed  page  while  we  were 
passing  through  that  wonderful  scenery.  When  we 
had  swomg  out  into  the  great  table-land  I  overheard 
her  say  to  a  friend,  "  This  is  the  thirteenth  time  I 
have  crossed  the  mountains.  The  first  time  I  could 
not  keep  the  tears  from  rolling  dowm  my  cheeks,  so 
impressed  was  I;  but  now  I  know  it  so  well  that  I  fre- 
quently go  through  the  whole  range  with  scarcely  a 
glance  cast  out  the  window."  It  is  thus,  alas!  that 
we  too  often  read  God's  Word ;  that  which  furnishes 
the  angels  a  theme  for  never-ending  praise  w^e  read 
with  indifference,  or  fail  to  read  at  all. 

J.  Wilbur  Chapman. 

When  people  have  lost  all  enjoyment  in  the  Word 
of  God,  this  is  no  reason  why  they  should  relinquish 
its  study.  They  may  lose  all  enjojmient  in  their 
morning  ablutions,  but  that  is  no  reason  why  they 
should  not  bathe.  A  man  should  go  on  reading 
because  of  the  almost  unconscious  effect  the  Bible 
may  have  upon  his  inner  life,  and  because  he  may 
thereby  learn  to  love  it. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

232 


DAY 
IX 

If  we  want  to  live  more  than  ordinary  spiritual 
lives  as  Christian  men,  it  is  necessary  that  we  be 
great  feeders  upon  the  Word  of  God,  which  is  not 
only  quick,  but  powerful.  De  Quincey  divided  all 
literature  into  the  literature  of  knowledge  and  the 
literature  of  power;  this  is  preeminently  the  litera- 
ture of  power.  "  If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words 
abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be 
done  unto  you."  And  still  further,  we  might  make 
this  additional  statement:  that  without  spiritual 
Bible  study  other  spiritual  helps  may  often  lead  us 
in  danger,  and  ultimiately  they  may  be  abandoned. 
Take  the  matter  of  meditation;  without  the  Bible 
meditation  may  lead  a  man  to  morbid  introspection. 
Secret  prayer  is  not  a  monologue,  but  is  a  dialogue. 

John  R.  Mott. 

The  study  of  Christ  in  the  Old  Testament  is  ex- 
ceedingly profitable.  In  Genesis  he  is  described  as 
the  seed  of  the  woman;  in  Exodus  as  the  "  Passover 
lamb";  in  Leviticus  the  high  priest;  in  Numbers 
the  smitten  rock  and  the  uplifted  serpent;  and  in 
Deuteronomy  the  person  of  Moses.  All  of  these 
typify  and  set  forth  the  person  and  work  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  The  Psalm.s  also  are  full  of  references 
to  him.  All  the  prophets,  either  in  type  or  in  pre- 
diction, "  testified  beforehand  of  his  sufferings,  and 
the  glory  that  should  follow."  The  gospels  record 
his  life,  death,  resurrection,  and  ascension;  the  Acts 
the  establishment  of  his  church;  the  epistles  the  de- 
velopment of  his  doctrines;  and  the  Apocalypse  the 
revelation  of  his  coming  glory.  The  great  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  testify.  W.  W.  Clark. 

233 


DAY 
X 


1^19^^ 


The  bane  of  humanity  is  bad  heredity.  We  cannot 
get  rid  of  it.  "  The  fathers  have  eaten  s'^ur  grapes, 
and  the  children's  teeth  are  set  on  edge,"  say  the 
Scriptures.  The  fathers  have  drunk  the  cup  of  sin- 
ful pleasure,  and  the  children  have  drunk  the  dregs. 
The  wondrous  thing  about  the  gospel  is  that  it  gives 
us  a  new  heredity.  I  count  that  the  very  highest 
and  sublimest  statement  of  the  doctrine  of  regenera- 
tion. A  man  grafting  trees  saws  off  a  limb  to  put  in 
the  scion.  If  the  limb  is  rotten  he  has  to  saw  it  off 
nearer  to  the  trunk.  We  were  grafted  in  Adam,  but 
it  was  discovered  that  the  branch  was  rotten,  and 
then  God  began  at  the  very  beginning,  and  grafted 
us  into  Jesus  Christ,  the  divine  Son  of  God.  Dr. 
Williams,  of  Boston,  was  asked,  "  How  early  do  you 
think  the  training  of  a  child  ought  to  begin?"  He 
replied  instantly, "  A  hundred  years  before  the  child's 
birth."  When  God  would  build  up  a  child  holy  in  all 
things  he  goes  back  to  the  very  beginning  and  gives 
us  our  birth  in  God  himself:  "Which  were  born, 
not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the 
will  of  man,  but  of  God."  The  river  of  life  has  its 
sources  in  the  very  throne  of  God,  and  when  we  get 
that  life  we  have  something  in  us  which  tends  to 
make  us  do  well  instead  of  doing  ill.  As  from  Adam 
we  had  this  hereditary  tendency  to  do  wrong,  so  when 
we  are  grafted  into  Jesus  Christ,  and  given  the  eter- 
nal life,  we  have  that  influence  impelling  us  to  holi- 
ness: "Whosoever  is  born  of  God  doth  not  commit 
sin;  for  his  seed  remaineth  in  him:  and  he  cannot  sin, 
because  he  is  born  of  God." 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

234 


DAY 
XI 


A  call  to  be  a  disciple  is  one  thing,  and  a  call  to 
be  a  clergyman  is  another.  A  good  many  people 
make  a  mistake  because  they  haven't  made  that  dis- 
tinction. Peter,  James,  and  John  were  called  to  be 
disciples.  They  wouldn't  have  left  their  nets  and 
their  fishing-smacks  and  followed  Christ  if  they  had 
not  been  called.  Afterward  they  were  called  to  be 
apostles.  I  believe  no  man  ought  to  go  into  the  min- 
istry unless  he  is  forced  into  it  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 
Many  men  nowadays  think  if  they  can't  do  anything 
else  they  will  turn  their  hand  to  the  ministry.  They 
might  better  be  hammering  iron,  or  making  clothes, 
or  sowing  wheat.  I'd  rather  plow  or  saw  wood  than 
be  in  a  work  to  which  God  hadn't  sent  me.  If  a  man 
runs  before  he  is  sent  he  will  be  a  miserable  failure ; 
he'll  break  down.  But  if  a  man  waits  till  he  gets 
his  commission  he  is  going  to  bear  good  testimony, 
and  God  will  bless  his  testimony.  One  way  to  tell 
whether  you  have  been  called  is  to  look  at  the  results 
of  your  work.  If  you  preach  because  you  can't  help 
it,  and  your  whole  soul  is  in  it,  and  souls  are  won  to 
Christ,  that  is  a  pretty  good  sign  that  you  have  been 
called  of  God. 

D.  L.  MooDT. 


If  you  desire  to  know  God's  will  first  pray  to  him 
for  guidance.  The  man  who  neglects  this  sins.  But 
no  less  is  it  important  to  use  all  the  facts  within  our 
reach,  and  our  faculties  of  judgment  and  decision, 
and  then  our  full  power  of  locomotion. 

John  N.  Forman. 


DAY 

xn 


Epaphras,  who  is  one  of  you,  a  servant  of  Christ,  saluteth  you, 
always  laboring  fervently  for  you  in  prayers,  that  ye  may  stand 
perfect  and  complete  in  all  the  will  of  God.— Col.  iv.  12. 

The  prayer  of  Epaphras  for  the  Colossians  should 
be  our  prayer  for  ourselves  and  others.  We  do 
sometimes  bow  down  and  say,  "  Thy  will  be  done." 
Men  put  up  the  whites  of  their  eyes  and  roll  their 
heads  about  as  if  with  agony  at  the  thought  that  the 
will  of  God  is  to  be  done.  One  would  think  the  will 
of  God  was  the  most  terrible  infliction  that  the  Al- 
mighty could  lay  upon  his  creatures.  But  the  will 
of  God  is  the  joy  of  Christ  Jesus.  It  is  the  one  joy 
of  a  sanctified  soul  that  it  is  permitted  and  enabled 
to  do  the  will  of  God;  so  that  when  a  person  prays 
for  me  that  I  may  "stand  perfect  and  complete  in  all 
the  will  of  God,"  it  is  the  most  blessed  prayer  that 
can  be  offered  for  me. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 


Our  first  parents  forfeited  Eden  by  their  disobe- 
dience, and  Christ,  the  second  Adam,  takes  up  the 
battle  in  the  wilderness  and  fights  his  way  back  to 
Paradise.  We  have  to  do  the  same.  We  have  for- 
feited our  Eden  of  innocence  and  peace  with  God  by 
disobedience  to  some  higher  law.  We  have  lost  our 
Eden,  and  we  find  ourselves  in  the  wilderness,  and 
we  have  got  to  take  up  the  battle  and,  under  Christ's 
leadership  and  reljing  on  his  sympathy  and  help,  to 
fight  our  way  back  again  to  Paradise.  "  To  him  that 
overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which 
is  in  the  midst  of  the  Paradise  of  God." 

A.  C.  A.  Hall. 

236 


DAY 

xm 


In  whom  we  have  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace.— Eph.  i.  7. 

There  is  the  riches  of  God's  grace.  Ephesians  i. 
18  tells  us  of  the  riches  of  his  glory:  "The  eyes  of 
your  understanding  being  enlightened;  that  ye  may 
know  what  is  the  hope  of  his  calling,  and  what  the 
riches  of  the  glory  of  his  inheritance  in  the  saints." 
What  is  the  riches  of  his  glory?  It  is  unfolded 
further  on,  in  Ephesians  iii.  16:  "That  he  would 
grant  you,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  glory,  to 
be  strengthened  mth  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the  inner 
man."  Contrast  these  two  things,  and  you  find  this: 
the  riches  of  his  grace  is  that  which  we  get  from 
the  cross;  the  riches  of  his  glory  is  that  which  we 
get  from  the  throne.  Forgiveness  is  of  grace;  the 
enduement  of  the  Spirit  is  of  glory. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

There  are  different  ways  of  coming  to  fortune. 
You  may  inherit  it,  or  you  may  achieve  it,  or  you 
may  come  to  it  as  Ruth  did.  Like  her,  although  at 
first  only  a  poor  gleaner,  you  may  marry  the  Laird! 
And  that  is  the  only  way  to  true  possession.  Faith 
marries  us  to  the  Lord  of  all. 

John  McNeill. 

Gleaning  is  a  poor  trade;  it  is  hard  work,  with 
comparatively  little  result.  There  are  so  many 
Christians  who  have  never  been  taught  anything 
better  than  to  go  into  the  field  and  labor  hard  and 
carry  away  as  much  as  they  could  carry.  But  that 
never  makes  a  home,  that  never  makes  full  provision. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

237 


DAY 

XIV 


The  one  lesson  that  God  has  taught  me,  if  he  ever 

has  taught  me  anything  in  connection  with  the  grace 
of  God,  is  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a  divine  plan 
in  a  man's  life,  and  that  the  only  wisdom  in  this  world 
is  to  find  out  what  that  plan  is,  and  to  be  led  into  it 
step  by  step,  and  not  to  mind  what  is  the  end  of  it. 
There  is  much  said  about  the  divine  call,  little  said 
about  the  end  of  it.  Why?  Because  no  tongue,  not 
even  the  divine  tongue,  will  attempt  to  tell  what  is 
the  outcome  of  a  life  that  is  led  of  God.  Even  the 
Bible,  with  all  its  majesty  and  divinity,  does  not  un- 
dertake to  tell  how  great  that  life  is  which  takes  its 
way  into  the  life  of  God;  it  only  gives  a  clue  by  which 
we  can  find  the  way  step  by  step. 

Only  two  patterns  are  possible.  The  Bible  does 
not  present  a  third.  Every  man  must  live  the  life 
of  Cain,  the  first  rejecter  of  the  gospel,  or  the  life 
of  Abel,  the  first  believer.  Cain  was  the  first  unbe- 
liever. He  rejected  God's  testimony,  and  murder  was 
incidental  to  it.  It  was  the  fruit,  not  the  root.  A 
man  must  live  the  life  of  Jacob,  the  supplanter,  or 
of  Israel,  the  prince  of  God.  He  must  live  the  life  of 
Saul,  the  persecutor  of  the  church  and  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  himself,  or  the  life  of  Paul,  apostolic  in 
its  tone  and  spirit  and  temper  and  outcome.  He 
must  live  the  life  of  the  old  man,  or  the  life  of  the 
new  man. 

H.  C.  Mabie. 


Where  a  foundation  has  been  laid  anybody  can 
build,  but  only  God  can  build  on  nothing. 

A.  J.  Gordon, 


DAY 
XV 


A  dear  companion  of  mine,  for  three  years  a  true 
yoke-fellow  in  evangelistic  work,  one  extremely  cold 
winter  evening,  as  he  joined  me  in  a  railway-train 
to  take  his  last  journey  on  earth  in  the  service  of 
his  Master,  said  pleasantly,  "  I  got  a  good  illustration 
from  the  man  at  the  gate  as  I  came  on  to  the  train. 
It  is  very  cold,  and  every  one  was  grumbling,  and 
some  abusing  him  as  he  made  them  all  get  their 
tickets  out  and  show  them  before  they  could  get  past. 
I  said  to  him,  '  You  don't  seem  to  be  very  popular 
around  here.'  *  If  I  am  popular  with  the  man  that 
put  me  here  it  is  all  that  I  want,'  was  his  reply. 
Ah,"  said  this  dear  friend,  "  if  we  could  go  through 
this  world  keeping  the  same  thought  toward  Christ, 
what  a  straight  path  we  should  make!"  May  this 
be  our  ambition,  the  only  ambition  the  gospel  enjoins. 
"  Wherefore  also  we  are  ambitious,  whether  at  home 
or  absent,  to  be  well  pleasing  unto  him." 

D.  W.  Whittle. 


What  we  want  to-day  is  men  of  one  idea.  Men 
said  that  Paul  was  a  narrow-minded  man,  a  man  of 
one  idea.  If  you  have  one  idea  that  covers  every- 
thing—the one  idea  of  Christ  crucified— you  can 
afford  to  be  called  fanatical. 

D.  L.  Moody. 


There  is  no  vital  connection  between  merely  hav- 
ing the  ideal  and  being  conformed  to  it.  Thousands 
admire  Christ  who  never  become  Christians. 

Henry  Drummond. 

239 


DAY 
XVI 

Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with  good.— Rom. 
xii.  21. 

Simple  resistance  is  not  enough;  we  need  to  be 
aggressive,  not  defensive  only.  To  stand  against 
evil  is  a  great  thing,  but  to  compel  evil  to  withdraw 
before  us  and  drive  it  away  is  greater.  He  who  is 
not  overcome  is  not  conquered,  but  he  who  overcomes 
is  a  conqueror.  In  one  case  he  is  not  defeated;  in 
the  other  case  his  foe  is  defeated  and  driven  from  the 
field.  If  the  former  is  conquest  the  latter  is  more 
than  conquest.  And  the  secret  of  it  is  not  to  stand 
on  the  defensive,  but  in  the  power  of  the  truth  and 
goodness  carry  on  the  war  in  the  confidence  of  faith, 
with  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  in  the  power  of  prayer. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

The  Bible  is  positive  and  negative ;  it  requires  and 
forbids ;  it  points  out  evils  and  prescribes  the  remedies. 
Some  say  that  the  way  to  destroy  evil  is  to  proclaim 
the  good.  God  does  not  do  this.  It  is  necessary 
both  to  root  out  the  evil  and  to  establish  the  good. 
God  commands  us  not  to  profane  his  name,  not  to 
steal,  or  kill,  or  commit  adultery,  and  then  gives 
positive  commands  to  honor  our  fathers  and  mothers, 
to  remember  the  Sabbath,  and  to  love  God  and  man. 
No  farmer  is  fool  enough  to  try  to  kill  weeds  by 
planting  good  corn.  He  relies  upon  the  plow  and 
the  hoe.  No  brier  patch  was  ever  brought  into  sub- 
jection by  sowing  good  wheat  upon  it.  Evil  must 
be  eradicated  and  good  must  be  implanted. 

Charles  A.  Blanchard. 

Every  time  we  overcome  one  temptation  we  gain 
strength  to  overcome  another. 

D.  L.  Moody 

240 


DAY 

xvn 


Fight  the  good  fight  of  faith.— 1  Tim.  vi.  12. 

The  fight  of  faith  is  a  "  good  fight "  because  it  is 
for  the  best  objects;  it  insures  a  clean  heart,  a  pure 
conscience,  and  God's  approval.  It  is  a  good  fight 
because  God  supplies  us  with  weapons.  It  is  a  win- 
ning fight  because  the  omnipotent  Christ  takes  us 
into  his  own  keeping,  and  neither  man  nor  devils  can 
pluck  us  out  of  his  hand.  When  the  Son  of  God  is 
conquered  we  will  be  conquered,  and  not  before. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 


A  merchant  in  Glasgow  used  to  preach  wherever 
he  thought  he  could  do  good.  One  day  he  was  talk- 
ing about  Shamgar.  "  Over  the  hill,"  he  said,  "  there 
came  a  man.  He  came  near  Shamgar  and  said, 
'  Shamgar,  Shamgar,  run  for  your  life !  Six  hundred 
Philistines  are  coming  over  the  hill  after  you.'  But 
Shamgar  said,  'They  are  four  hundred  short.  I'll 
take  care  of  them.'  He  believed  in  Scripture,  you 
see— that  one  should  chase  a  thousand." 

D.  L.  Moody. 


Never  dare  to  fight  God's  battles  with  the  devil's 
weapons,  whatever  they  may  be,  and  never  dare  do 
evil  that  good  may  come.  The  end  never  justifies 
the  means.  Never  compromise  with  the  world's 
laxity,  and  never  snatch  in  your  own  way  at  what 
God  will  give  you  with  a  blessing  in  his  own  way. 

A.  C.  A.  Hall. 


241 


DAY 

xvni 


«^M^ 


How  can  we  get  spiritual  power?  We  cannot  get 
it.  No  man  ever  possessed  it;  no  man  ever  owned 
it;  no  man  ever  used  it.  It  is  a  question,  not  of  our 
getting  power,  but  of  God  getting  us;  not  of  our  using 
God,  but  of  God  using  us.  The  disciples  were  not 
told  to  pray  for  power  nor  to  seek  for  power.  They 
were  told  to  wait  for  the  Holy  Ghost.  A  wind  always 
blows  toward  a  vacuum.  In  that  upper  chamber  the 
disciples  were  being  emptied  and  a  vacuum  was 
being  made.  The  son  of  thunder  was  emptied  of  the 
thunder  that  he  might  be  filled  with  love.  The 
doubting  Thomas  was  emptied  of  his  doubt  that  he 
might  be  filled  with  light.  Peter  was  emptied  of  his 
presumption  and  his  fickleness  that  he  might  be  filled 
with  all  the  power  of  God.  Then  there  came  the 
sound  as  of  a  mighty  rushing  wind,  and  God  came 
upon  them  and  used  them. 

A  great  mesmerist  told  me  that  the  one  qualifica- 
tion under  which  he  could  mesmerize  people  was  that 
they  should  have  vacant  minds.  If  a  man  might  pour 
his  mind  into  the  vacant  mind  of  another  creature 
until  he  should  think  his  thought  and  do  his  will, 
what  might  not  God  do  if  only  he  could  have  vacant 
spirits  into  which  he  could  pour  himself?  The  great 
condition  of  power  is  to  be  emptied  of  self  and  to  be 
filled  with  God;  to  renounce  self  and  to  appropriate 
God;  to  be  dead  unto  self,  but  to  be  alive  unto  God 
by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

B.  Fay  Mills. 

If  the  incense  of  prayer  is  rising  steadily  and  fer- 
vently from  our  souls,  the  Spirit  of  God  will  blow 
upon  us  stronger  and  stronger. 

W.  W.  Moore. 

242 


DAY 
XIX 


What  saves  men?  Not  the  blood  of  Christ  alone, 
not  the  gospel  message  alone,  not  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  alone;  not  all  of  these  alone.  ^  Some  be- 
liever is  the  link  to  connect  with  that  atoning  blood, 
that  witnessing  gospel,  and  that  comforting  Spirit. 
There  is  almost  always  a  human  agent  somewhere; 
it  may  be  only  in  the  giving  of  a  tract,  the  asking 
of  a  question;  it  may  be  a  parent,  a  Sunday-school 
teacher,  a  minister  of  Christ;  but  there  is  some 
human  link  that  comes  between  the  soul  and  the 
gospel,  and  so  men  are  saved.  So  Paul  said,  "  I  fill 
up  that  which  is  behind  of  the  afflictions  of  Christ." 
Until  the  believer  falls  into  line  something  is  missing. 
Christ  on  the  cross  is  to  be  brought  to  the  know- 
ledge of  men.  The  gospel  of  the  printed  page  is  to 
be  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  m^en.  The  Holy 
Ghost  is  an  invisible  personality,  unknown  and  un- 
recognized by  the  world.  How  is  the  world  to  be 
saved  ?  The  believing  child  of  God  lifts  up  the  cross, 
tells  the  gospel  story  to  the  unsaved,  becomes  the 
dwelling-place  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  out  of  him 
flows  the  water  of  life.  Paul  counted  mission  work 
a  sublime  privilege: "  Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the 
least  of  all  saints,  is  tJiis  grace  given,  that  I  should 
preach  among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  Christ." 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

He  who  is  not  a  missionary  Christian  will  be  a 
missing  Christian  when  the  great  day  comes  for  be- 
stowing the  rev/ards  of  service. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

243 


DAY 
XX 


Therefore,  my  beloved  brethren,  be  ye  steadfast,  unmovable, 
always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  forasmuch  as  ye  know 
that  your  labor  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.— 1  Cor.  xv.  58. 

Only  fixed  convictions  will  produce  permanent 
Christian  activity,  and  only  those  who  are  actively 
at  work  will  maintain  fixed  convictions.  The  two 
may  stand  together;  either  attempted  alone  will  fail. 

John  A.  Broadus. 

God  can  take  the  devilment,  the  meanness,  and 
the  skill  that  a  man  had  in  serving  the  devil  and 
that  he  learned  in  serving  the  devil  and  make  them 
useful  in  his  own  work.  Oh,  I  think  that  is  great, 
that  the  dear  Lord  Jesus  Christ  can  turn  the  guns 
on  the  devil.  S.  H.  Hadley. 

The  honest  service  of  Jesus  Christ  pays  the  soul 
a  rich  dividend  of  solid  satisfaction.  There  is  no 
wretchedness  in  a  true  Christian's  trials;  his  bruised 
flowers  emit  sweet  fragrance.  The  fruits  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  are  love,  joy,  and  peace;  the  promise  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  is  that  his  joy  shall  be  full.  The 
sweetest  honey  is  gathered  out  of  the  hive  of  a 
busy,  unselfish,  useful,  and  holy  life. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

I  shall  pass  through  this  world  but  once.  Any 
good  thing,  therefore,  that  I  can  do,  or  any  kindness 
that  I  can  show  to  any  human  being,  let  me  do  it 
now.  Let  me  not  defer  it  or  neglect  it,  for  I  shall 
not  pass  this  way  again. 

Henry  Drummond. 

244 


DAY 
XXI 

We  are  laborers  together  with  God.— 1  Cor.  iii.  9. 

Too  many  men  say,  "  My  God,  I  am  going  to  work 
in  such  and  such  a  part  of  the  vineyard  to-day; 
please  come  and  help  me."  Our  true  prayer  should 
be  ''  Lord,  where  are  you  working  to-day?  Let  me 
come  and  work  along  with  you."  We  want  God  to 
help  us  carry  out  our  little  plans;  God  wants  us  to 
help  him  accomplish  his  great  plan.  We  would  be 
much  happier  if,  instead  of  trying  to  fit  God  mto  our 
scheme,  we  would  fit  ourselves  into  his  and  be  work- 
ers together  with  God.  That  is  the  secret  of  George 
Miiller's  work;  he  took  for  his  motto.  Our  fellow- 
ship [our  partnership]  is  with  the  Father.  Our 
partnership  is  with  the  Father,  and  with  the  Son, 
and  mth  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  we  become  very 
humble  members  of  the  very  great  firm  which  never 
suspends  payment.  We  are  workers  together  with 
P  J  F.  B.  Meyer. 

Let  us  do  what  we  can.  Let  us  not  be  seeking 
some  high  position,  but  let  us  get  down  at  the  feet 
of  the  Master  and  be  willing  to  let  God  use  us— to 
let  him  breathe  his  Spirit  upon  us  and  send  us  out 
to  his  work.  If  you  can't  be  a  lighthouse  you  can 
be  a  tallow  candle. 

We  want  to  get  possession  of  power  and  use  it. 
God  wants  the  power  to  get  possession  of  us  and  use 
us.  If  we  give  ourselves  to  the  power  to  rule  m  us 
the  power  will  give  itself  to  us  to  rule  through  us. 

Andrew  Murray. 

One  ought  to  talk  only  as  loud  as  he  lives-a  rule 
which  would  deprive  some  people  of  the  privilege  of 
shouting,  j^  ^^^^^^  ^^^^^^^^ 

245 


DAY 

xxn 


God  does  not  want  us  to  withdraw  from  the  world 
as  recluses,  but  he  wants  us  to  mingle  with  our 
fellow-men,  and  to  seek  in  all  ways  to  lead  them 
Godward.  We  are  to  own  the  ties  of  family  and  of 
country,  and  to  have  sympathy  for  all  humanity, 
even  as  we  have  Christ  for  our  example.  He  was  a 
familiar  guest  in  the  homes  of  the  people.  He  took 
the  little  children  up  in  his  arms  and  blessed  them. 
He  was  present  at  the  marriage  feast  and  in  the 
house  of  mourning.  He  went  regularly  to  the  feasts 
at  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  places  and  at  all  times  was 
ever  accessible  to  and  in  sympathy  with  man.  But 
in  doing  this  he  ever  retained  his  character  as  a 
heavenly  man.  In  the  home  he  spoke  of  God.  We 
cannot  conceive  that  he  ever  occupied  his  precious 
time  in  talking  with  Martha  and  Mary  about  Herod's 
last  ball  or  the  theatrical  entertainments  at  the 
Jerusalem  theater,  or  gossiped  with  them  about  the 
latest  Roman  fashions  or  the  last  scandal  at  Herod's 
palace.  Nor  would  Jesus  be  led  by  Simon  and  the 
Pharisees  to  spend  the  dinner  hour  in  discussing 
ecclesiastical  politics  and  criticizing  the  latest 
speeches  in  the  sanhedrim;  nor  by  Zaccheus  into 
a  calculation  as  to  the  future  course  of  the  stock 
market  and  the  movements  in  the  commercial  world. 

Filled  with  love  and  benevolence,  a  citizen  of 
heaven,  Christ  moved  here  a  man  among  men;  but 
a  heavenly-minded  man— never  allowing  himself  to 
be  dragged  down  to  a  worldly  level,  but  ever  seeking 
to  lift  up  the  men  of  the  world  to  the  plane  of 
heavenly  things  where  he  abode. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 

246 


DAY 

xxni 


Has  a  Christian  concern  with  any  other  conversa- 
tion than  Christ?  This  whole  land  would  be  swept 
with  the  Christian  life  as  no  section  of  the  world 
has  ever  been  swept  mth  it  if  men  made  it  their 
business  to  talk  Christ;  if,  when  they  walked  with 
one  another,  they  talked  him;  if,  when  they  sat  down 
for  a  conversation,  they  talked  him;  if  they  came  to 
know  Christ  as  the  object  of  their  speech.  Mr. 
Ruskin  gathers  up  what  the  conviction  of  all  of  us 
must  be,  in  his  "Notes  on  the  Construction  of 
Sheepfolds,"  when  he  says  that  it  is  the  business  of 
every  Christian  man,  w^he.ther  he  be  a  minister  or 
layman,  to  be  constantly  and  incessantly  talking 
Christ,  not  only  indirectly  but  directly;  to  the  ser- 
vants in  his  home,  to  the  men  he  meets  on  railway- 
trains,  to  that  man  with  whom  he  is  thrown  in  touch 
in  his  work  in  life;  it  is  his  one  business  as  a  Chris- 
tian man  to  talk  Jesus  Christ.  Oh,  the  glory  of  the 
lives  who  have  learned  that  lesson ! 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

You  never  can  tell  when  God  will  take  a  little 
word  you  may  drop,  like  an  arrow  shot  at  a  venture, 
and  cause  it  to  strike  some  hearer  between  the  joints 
of  the  harness  and  bring  him  down.  Therefore  let 
no  opportunity  slip  for  speaking  a  word  for  Christ. 

A.  F.  SCHAUFFLER. 

Do  you  want  to  be  like  Christ  ?  Go  and  find  some 
one  who  has  fallen,  and  get  your  arm  under  him  and 
lift  him  up  toward  heaven,  and  the  Lord  will  bless 
you  in  the  very  act.  May  God  help  us  to  act  like 
the  good  Samaritan.  D.  L.' Moody. 

247 


DAY 
XXIV 


He  giveth  power  to  the  faint;  and  to  them  that  have  no  might 
he  increaseth  strength.— Isa.  xl.  29. 

God  gives  power  to  them  that  have  no  might;  he 
increases  their  strength  so  that  they  mount  up  with 
wings  as  eagles.  Notice  the  great  contrast  between 
the  arrow  and  the  eagle.  The  arrow  shot  from  the 
bow  always  slackens  in  its  pace  with  every  inch  of 
space  over  which  it  flies,  because  of  the  friction  with 
which  it  meets;  but  the  eagle's  flight  is  ever  swifter 
and  higher  because  its  speed  is  not  derived  from  the 
impetus  with  which  it  is  launched  into  space,  but 
it  is  fed  by  the  inherent  fountain  of  vitality  and 
strength  within.  Thus  the  believer  does  not  know 
the  slackening  speed  of  the  arrow,  but  the  ever- 
soaring  and  quickening  speed  of  the  eagle,  because 
his  strength  is  fed  from  within,  where  God,  the  un- 
tired,  is  ever  maintaining  his  energy. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 


Demonstrate  in  your  own  experience  that  God  is 
teaching  you  to  win  souls  for  Christ  here  and  now 
before  you  cross  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific.  Has  there 
been  a  revival  in  your  town  since  you  were  called? 
You  will  never  find  men  laughing  at  the  idea  of  your 
being  a  missionary  if  you  can  wake  up  your  native 
town.  That  is  what  we  w^ant  for  men  who  are  to 
labor  in  China,  in  Japan,  in  India,  where  the  most 
colossal  difliculties  have  to  be  met;  we  want  not  an 
army  so  much  as  an  elect  company  who  have  proved 
their  power  on  their  native  sod  before  they  encounter 
those  bulwarks  of  Satan  in  pagan  fields. 

H.  C.  Mabie. 

248 


DAY 
XXV 


He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise.— Prov.  xi.  30. 


I  don't  know  the  prominent  business  men  of 
Babylon.  I  couldn't  tell  who  the  sharpest  politicians 
were,  the  leading  philosophers  or  astronomers;  could 
you?  But  I  know  Daniel  pretty  well;  his  spotless  life 
is  still  resplendent  as  the  day,  and  the  good  he  did 
to  those  about  him  is  still  recorded  to  perpetuate 
his  name.  Oh,  it's  true  that  he  that  winneth  souls 
is  wise!  D.  L.  Moody. 

By  far  the  best  way  to  help  men  with  their 
temptations  is  to  bring  them  to  Christ.  It  may  be 
of  some  service  to  a  man  if,  in  the  time  of  trial,  I 
put  round  him  the  sympathetic  arm  of  a  brother; 
but  it  is  infinitely  better  if  I  can  get  him  to  allow 
Christ  to  put  round  him  his  strong  arm.  This  is  the 
effectual  defense,  and  no  other  can  be  really  de- 
pended on. 

James  Stalker. 

We  can  serve  God  acceptably  in  any  sphere ;  every 
calling  may  be  made  a  divine  vocation.  The  great 
mistake  of  many  is  that  they  feel  they  must  leave 
tha  carpenter's  plane,  give  up  the  trowel,  and  enter 
some  learned  profession.  God  says,  "What's  that 
in  your  hand?"  In  Moses'  hand  was  the  shepherd's 
crook,  in  Solomon's  the  scepter,  in  David's  the  sling 
or  the  harp,  and  in  Dorcas's  the  needle.  The  Bible 
is  God's  tool-chest.  It  is  one  of  these  patent  tool- 
chests  which  contains  every  kind  of  tool.  The  Word 
of  God  is  adapted  to  every  purpose. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

249 


DAY 
XXVI 


No  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  Christian  pulpit 
and  Christian  work  ought  to  be  named  as  an  apology 
for  omitting  to  do  that  work  except  the  obstacles 
within  the  church  itself.  As  well  might  General 
Grant  have  complained  of  the  cannon  and  sharp- 
shooting  of  Lee's  army;  but  for  them  there  would 
have  been  no  use  for  him.  We  are  to  go  on  with 
the  conquest  set  before  us.  Cyrus  D.  Foss. 

To  a  very  large  extent  preaching  in  the  pulpit 
to-day  is  preaching  in  defense  of  the  Bible  rather 
than  preaching  the  content  of  the  Bible.  We  spend 
a  great  deal  of  time  in  making  clear  and  clean  the 
approaches  to  the  temple,  and  a  great  many  of  us 
never  get  any  farther  than  the  vestibule  door,  and 
we  spend  so  much  time  in  this  way  that  we  do  not 
have  time  to  go  inside  and  worship. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 

Christ  sends  us  into  all  the  world  to  preach  the 
gospel ;  and  every  time  we  preach  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
present  to  bring  home  the  message  to  men's  hearts. 
I  confess  that  I  am  not  sure  if  I  preach  on  politics 
or  on  the  strikes  that  the  Holy  Ghost  will  bear  wit- 
ness to  that  teaching.  These  miay  be  important 
matters,  but  the  Spirit  has  been  given  to  bear  tes- 
timony to  Jesus  Christ.  I  have  not  the  sense  of  his 
presence  in  handling  these  themes,  if  I  ever  venture 
on  them;  but  I  often  do  have  it  when  preaching 
Christ,  even  in  the  simplest  way— the  Holy  Ghost 
co-witnessing  and  bearing  the  message  home  to  the 
hearts  and  consciences  of  mc^. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

250 


DAY 

xxvn 


The  work  of  the  world's  evangelization  is  a  matter 
not  of  option  but  of  obligation.  Christianity  is  not 
worth  keeping  unless  we  take  for  granted  that  what 
makes  Christianity  Avorth  having  is  that  it  brings 
to  us  the  message  of  life  found  nowhere  else.  If 
that  is  so,  then  this  places  us  under  obligation  to 
give  the  message  to  all  the  world.  The  moment  a 
man  says  that  his  Christianity  does  not  require  him 
to  give  the  gospel  to  the  world,  then  he  hasn't  a 
Christianity  at  all.  We  believe  that  God  sent  his 
Son  from  heaven,  and  that  the  Son  gave  his  life  for 
the  world's  life  upon  the  cross;  that  he  came  not  to 
judge,  but  to  save  the  world;  that  God  was  in  him 
reconciling  the  w^orld  to  himself;  that  he  told  his 
disciples  to  give  the  message  of  his  life  and  his  death 
and  his  blood  to  every  creature;  that  you  and  I  are 
his  disciples;  and  that  apart  trom  his  name  there  is 
"  no  name  under  heaven  given  among  men,  whereby 
we  must  be  saved."  Does  not  this  belief  carry  with 
it  the  obligation  to  spread  the  knowledge  of  these 
facts  around  the  world?  Yet  here  w^e  sit.  Imagine 
Simon  Peter  standing  on  the  shores  running  up  from 
the  Sea  of  Galilee,  ^^ith  a  loaf  in  one  hand  and  a  fish 
in  the  other,  while  five  thousand  poor  starving  people 
lie  about  on  the  grass,  and  saying,  "  What  a  pity  it 
is  that  these  poor  people  are  not  given  something  to 
eat!  What  a  nice  thing  it  would  be  if  some  one 
went  out  and  fed  them!"  Would  Christ  have 
allowed  him  to  go  about  with  a  misty  sort  of  sym- 
pathy for  a  world  that  w^as  dying  for  a  practical 
knowledge  of  Christ?  No;  he  said,  "Give  ye  them 
to  eat."  The  work  of  evangelizing  this  world,  for 
every  man,  is  a  matter  of  personal,  inalienable 
obligation.  Robert  E.  Speer. 

251 


DAY 

xxvm 


If  you  find,  by  the  Bible  teachings,  that  one  tenth 
of  your  income  and  one  seventh  of  your  time  belong 
to  the  Lord  absolutely  and  outright  to  begin  with, 
and  that  your  hold  on  the  other  nine  tenths  of  your 
income  and  six  sevenths  of  your  time  is  not  that  of 
unconditional  ownership,  but  of  conditioned  Chris- 
tian stewardship,  then  see  whether  your  conscience- 
chronometer  does  not  run  pretty  slow  in  that  latitude. 
A  rating  up  of  Christian  consciences  generally,  by 
this  standard,  would  add  ciphers  pretty  fast  at  the 
right  hand  of  benevolent  contributions.  There  would 
be  little  trouble  then  about  the  support  of  mission- 
aries or  the  building  of  new  churches. 

Henry  Clay  Trumbull. 

I  go  to  Christians  of  wealth  and  ask  for  money, 
and  they  say,  "  My  money  is  so  tied  up  that  I  cannot 
spare  it."  I  want  to  see  the  church  of  God  able  to 
say,  "  My  money  is  so  tied  up  that  I  cannot  spare  it 
for  the  theater  and  ball-room;  it  is  tied  up  for  Jesus 
Christ,  it  is  under  consecration." 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

God  Almighty  will  take  your  poor  gift  with  de- 
light, even  though  it  is  not  worth  anything  what- 
ever. Only  give  him  what  you  have,  and  you  will 
find  that  the  joy  of  the  Lord  comes  back  to  you 
moment  by  moment,  until  at  last  you  can  say,  "  My 
soul  is  satisfied  with  marrow  and  fatness,"  while 
God  is  well  pleased  for  his  righteousness'  sake. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe, 


252 


DAY 
XXIX 


How  are  we  to  attain  to  the  blessed  position  in 
which  the  kingdom  of  God  shall  fill  our  hearts  with 
such  enthusiasm  that  it  will  spontaneously  be  first 
every  day  ?  We  must  be  ^^illing  to  give  up  everything 
for  it.  You  have  often  seen  in  history  how  soldiers 
and  men  who  were  not  soldiers  could  give  up  their 
lives  in  sacrifice  for  king  or  country.  In  South 
Africa,  not  many  years  ago,  the  war  for  liberty  was 
fought.  They  said,  "We  must  have  our  liberty." 
They  bound  themselves  together  to  fight  for  it, 
and  went  home  to  prepare  for  the  struggle.  Such 
a  thrill  of  enthusiasm  passed  through  that  country 
that  women  whose  husbands  were  exempt  from  ser- 
vice said,  "No;  go,  even  though  you  have  not  been 
commanded."  Mothers,  when  one  son  was  called  to 
the  front,  said,  "  Take  two,  take  three."  Every  man 
and  woman  was  ready  to  die.  It  was  in  very  deed, 
"  Our  country  first,  before  everything."  So,  if  you 
desire  to  have  this  wonderful  kingdom  of  God  take 
possession  of  you,  I  beseech  you,  give  up  everything 
for  it.  Andrew  Murray. 

If  it  costs  much  to  be  a  zealous  and  successful 
Christian,  it  will  cost  infinitely  more  to  live  and  die 
an  impenitent  sinner.  Bible  religion  costs  self-de- 
nial; sin  costs  self-destruction.  To  be  a  sober  man 
costs  self-restraint  and  the  scoff  of  fools.  To  be  a 
tippler  costs  a  ruined  purse,  a  ruined  body,  and  a 
lost  soul.  The  sensualist  pays  for  his  vices  a  tre- 
mendous toll.  The  swearer  must  pay  for  his  oaths, 
and  the  Sabbath-breaker  for  his  breach  of  God's 
law. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

253 


DAY 
XXX 


A  holy  life  is  made  up  of  a  number  of  small 
things;  little  words,  not  eloquent  speeches  or  ser- 
mons; little  deeds,  not  miracles  of  battle  nor  one 
great  heroic  act  of  mighty  martyrdom,  make  up  the 
true  Christian  life.  The  little  constant  sunbeam, 
not  the  lightning;  the  waters  of  Siloam  that  "go 
softly  "  in  the  meek  mission  of  refreshment,  not  the 
"  waters  of  the  river,  great  and  many,"  rushing  down 
in  noisy  torrents,  are  the  true  symbols  of  a  holy  life. 
The  avoidance  of  little  evils,  little  sins,  little  incon- 
sistencies, little  weaknesses,  little  follies,  indiscre- 
tions, and  imprudences,  little  foibles,  little  indul- 
gences of  the  flesh;  the  avoidance  of  such  little  things 
as  these  goes  far  to  make  up  at  least  the  negative 
beauty  of  a  holy  life.  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

Any  man  who  persists  in  living  in  known  sin  or 
indulging  in  questionable  practices,  entertaining 
doubts  about  things  that  he  would  be  certain  about 
if  he  woke  up,  is  not  in  a  position  to  be  used  by  God. 
We  must  live  near  to  God  that  we  may  hear  his 
voice.  His  voice  was  not  in  the  great  wind  nor  in 
the  earthquake,  nor  yet  in  the  fire,  but  in  the  still, 
small  voice,  or,  as  the  Revised  Version  puts  it,  the 
"sound  of  gentle  stillness."  We  hear  the  noise 
of  rumbling,  the  voice  of  birds,  and  other  voices  of 
nature;  if  we  shut  these  out,  we  listen  to  the  voice 
of  man;  if  we  shut  this  out,  we  hear  the  voice  of 
selfish  ambition.  How  hard  it  is  to  get  down  to 
that  point  where  we  hear  the  voice  which  the  sheep 
always  know!  I  beseech  you,  be  not  content  until 
you  have  heard  that  voice.     Keep  near  to  God. 

John  R.  Mott. 

254 


DAY 
XXXI 


Where  the  devil  cannot  rob  us  of  our  salvation  he 
often  very  easily  robs  us  of  our  expectation.  Your 
ability  to  exhibit  better,  brighter,  more  powerful,  and 
more  beautiful  lives  in  future  than  you  dreamed 
possible  in  the  past  depends  upon  your  conception 
of  God.  If  we  could  only  comprehend  God  we 
should  live  a  perfect  life,  because  "  this  is  life  eter- 
nal, that  they  might  know  thee  the  only  true  God,  and 
Jesus  Christ,  w^hom  thou  hast  sent."  It  is  for  want 
of  knowledge  of  God  that  our  lives  are  such  failures. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 


Surely  it  is  the  marvel  of  angels  how  near  we 
stand  to  God  and  spend  so  much  of  our  life  in  carry- 
ing burdens  that  he  w^ould  bear  and  in  not  seeking 
by  fellowship  with  him  that  grace  which  we  need 
for  his  work  and  for  daily  duty.  Probably  the 
reason  why  we  pray  so  little  is  because  we  under- 
stand so  slightly  the  philosophy  of  prayer.  The  key 
to  the  philosophy  of  prayer  lies  in  the  general  con- 
ception that  true  prayer  is  the  reflection  of  the 
thought  and  mind  of  God,  and  that  just  as  the 
fountain,  rising  day  and  night,  seeks  the  level  from 
which  it  came,  so  the  prayer  of  the  believer  comes 
from  God  and  returns  to  God. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 


Some  men  tell  us  that  they  don't  have  time  to 
pray;  but  if  any  man  has  God's  work  Ijdng  deep  in 
his  heart,  he  will  have  time  to  pray. 

D.  L.  Moody. 


255 


Blessed  assurance,  Jesus  is  mine! 
Oh,  what  a  foretaste  of  glory  divine! 
Heir  of  salvation,  purchase  of  God, 
Born  of  his  Spirit,  washed  in  his  blood. 

This  is  my  story,  this  is  my  song, 
Praising  my  Saviour  all  the  day  long. 

Perfect  submission,  perfect  delight. 
Visions  of  rapture  now  burst  on  my  sight; 
Angels  descending  bring  from  above 
Echoes  of  mercy,  whispers  of  love. 

Perfect  submission,  all  is  at  rest, 
I  in  my  Saviour  am  happy  and  blest. 
Watching  and  waiting,  looking  above, 
Filled  with  his  goodness,  lost  in  his  love. 
Fanny  J.  Crosby. 


256 


[Month  of  September 

Crysaiitluiiiiiiiis 
7(.  A.    Toner  Tin-  Mount  Hi'iinoii  Fern- 


I  will  pour  water  upon  him  that  is  thirsty,  and  floods  upon  the 
dry  ground.  — Isa.  xliv.  3. 

Do  you  know  what  it  means  to  be  thirsty?  Ah, 
when  a  man  is  thirsty  it  seems  as  if  every  pore  in 
his  body  cried  one  thing:  "Water,  water,  water!" 
When  a  man  is  thirsty  for  the  baptism  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  all  the  longings  of  his  soul  seem  to  be 
concentrated  in  one  cry:  "  The  Holy  Ghost,  the  Holy 
Ghost,  the  Holy  Ghost!"  Just  so  long  as  a  man  is 
trying  to  find  some  way  of  accomplishing  his  work 
without  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  believes  that  he  can 
get  along  without  this  baptism,  he  is  not  going  to 
receive  it. 

R.  A.  TORREY. 

I  wish  that  we  were  so  thirsty  to-day  that  the 
flood-gates  would  be  lifted  up  and  the  tide  from 
heaven  come  in  upon  us.  What  does  the  hungry 
man  want?  Money?  Not  at  all.  Fame?  Not  a 
bit.  Good  clothes?  Not  a  bit.  Good  reputation? 
No;  that  isn't  it.  He  wants /oo(Z.  What  does  the 
thirsty  man  want?  Bonds  and  stocks?  No;  he 
wants  water.  When  we  are  in  dead  earnest,  and 
want  the  bread  of  heaven  and  the  water  of  life  with 
all  our  souls,  we  are  going  to  get  it.  You  may  be 
as  dry  as  tinder,  but,  thank  God,  you  can  have  all 
this  living  water  if  you  come  boldly  before  the 
throne  of  grace  and  present  your  case. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

We  are  sav/ing  off  the  branch  that  we  are  sitting 
on  when  we  resist  the  Spirit  of  God. 

John  McNeill. 

257 


DAY 

n 

And  when  he  is  come,  he  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin,  and  of 
righteousness,  and  of  judgment:  of  sin,  because  they  believe  not 
on  me;  of  righteousness,  because  I  go  to  my  Father,  and  ye  see 
me  no  more;  of  judgment,  because  the  prince  of  this  world  is 
judged.— John  xvi.  8. 

The  Spirit  has  been  sent  to  the  church  to  bear 
witness  of  Christ  in  order  to  bring  conviction  to  the 
world.  Jesus  Christ  performs  three  offices  in  his 
work  of  redemption,  as  prophet,  priest,  and  King.  The 
Holy  Spirit  has  also  a  corresponding  threefold  con- 
viction to  bring  home  to  men's  hearts.  He  convinces, 
first,  concerning  Christ  who  was  crucified;  second, 
concerning  Christ  who  has  been  glorified ;  third,  con- 
cerning Christ  who  is  to  come  again  and  judge  the 
world. 

Conscience  bears  witness  to  the  law;  the  Comforter 
bears  witness  to  Christ.  Conscience  brings  legal 
conviction;  the  Comforter  brings  evangelical  con- 
viction. Conscience  brings  conviction  unto  con- 
demnation, and  the  Comforter  brings  conviction 
unto  justification.  "He  shall  convince  the  world 
of  sin,  because  they  believe  not  on  me."  The  coming 
of  the  Son  of  God  made  a  sin  possible  that  was  not 
possible  before;  light  reveals  darkness.  There  are 
negroes  in  central  Africa  who  never  dreamed  that 
they  were  black  until  they  saw  the  face  of  a  white 
man;  and  there  are  people  vv^ho  never  knew  they 
were  sinful  until  they  saw  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ 
in  all  its  whiteness  and  purity. 

Conscience  convicts  of  sin  committed,  of  right- 
eousness impossible,  and  of  judgment  impending. 
The  Comforter  convicts  of  sin  committed,  of  right- 
eousness imputed,  and  of  judgment  past. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

258 


DAY 

m 

He  .  .  .  commanded  them  that  they  should  not  depart  from 
Jerusalem,  but  wait  for  the  promise  of  the  Father.— Acts  i.  4. 

If  the  apostles,  who  had  been  associated  with 
Christ,  who  had  heard  all  his  sermons  and  seen  all 
his  miracles,  needed  to  w^ait  for  power,  do  you  not 
think  that  we  need  to  wait  upon  God  for  powder  be- 
fore we  undertake  service  for  him?  Suppose  that 
Peter  had  said,  "Lord,  you  don't  mean  that  we 
should  wait  here  while  men  are  perishing  all  the 
time;  hadn't  we  better  go  to  them  now?"  "No, 
no;  go  back  and  wait  until  the  power  comes,  and 
greater  works  than  I  have  done  shall  ye  do."  I 
used  to  think  the  greatest  work  in  this  wide  world 
was  the  miracle  of  raising  Lazarus  from  the  dead; 
but  the  longer  I  work  the  more  I  am  convinced  that 
the  greatest  miracle  the  world  has  ever  known  was 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  three  thousand  Jews 
were  converted  by  an  unlettered  fisherman  from 
Galilee,  in  one  sermon.  Some  one  has  said  that 
now  it  takes  three  thousand  sermons  to  convert  one 
Jew.  I  believe  that  if  these  men  had  gone  to  preach- 
ing'^bef  ore  they  had  received  power  they  would  have 
been  swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  They  waited 
ten  days,  and  then  the  power  came.  Oh,  how  re- 
freshing it  must  have  been!  I  suppose  there  were 
more  converted  at  that  one  sermon  of  Peter  than 
during  all  the  three  years  of  Christ's  ministry. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Peter,  when  asked  how  the  work  of  Pentecost  was 
done,  said,  "  With  the  Holy  Ghost."  The  greatest 
works  for  God  have  been  wrought  with  such  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  that  there  has  been  no  conscious- 
ness of  forth-putting  of  human  energy. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

259 


DAY 
IV 


Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all 
Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth. 
—Acts  i.  8. 

I  venture  to  say  the  hardest  place  for  those  dis- 
ciples to  begin  to  preach  was  in  their  own  city, 
Jerusalem.  Then  Judea  was  the  next  hardest  place 
and  Samaria  was  the  next  hardest.  The  hardest 
place  to  begin  is  at  home,  in  your  own  church,  your 
own  family;  but  that  is  what  God  wants  us  to  do. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

God  calls  us  to  be  witnesses.  What  does  it  re- 
quire for  you  to  be  a  witness?  First  you  must  know 
something,  and  then  tell  it.  Is  there  any  one  who 
cannot  do  that?  Have  Jesus  Christ  in  your  soul 
and  a  tongue  to  tell  it.  Belief  in  the  heart  and  con- 
fession with  the  mouth— that  makes  a  witness. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

You  must  teach  what  the  Spirit  of  God  has  brought 
home  and  wrought  into  your  own  experience,  not 
what  you  gain  from  any  one  else.  You  must  be 
able  to  say,  "  I  not  only  know  whom  I  have  believed, 
but  I  know  what  I  believe;  I  know  the  dangers 
against  which  I  warn  men;  the  means  of  grace— 
prayer.  Scripture,  and  the  sacrament— to  which  I 
point  them;  I  lead  them  along  paths  which  I  have 
trodden;  I  teach  them  to  value  what  I  have  come  to 
prize."  A.  C.  A.  Hall. 

A  man  is  never  safe  in  rebuking  another  if  it  does 
not  cost  him  something  to  have  to  do  it. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

260 


DAY 
V 


Follow  me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men.— Matt.  iv.  19. 

It  is  a  simple  thing  to  be  a  fisher.  Fishing  does 
not  mean  a  gaily  painted  boat  and  a  swallowtail 
coat.  You  want  to  set  your  heart  on  the  fish  and 
not  on  yourself.  Too  many  regard  the  world  as  a 
place  for  boat-riding.  Go  where  the  fish  are  and  do 
not  be  afraid  to  fish.  Go  into  partnership  with 
Christ,  and  you  will  find  that  you  will  have  many 
miraculous  drafts. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

There  are  lots  of  nets  that  will  never  catch  any 
fish  unless  they  are  first  washed  and  mended.  It  is 
always  well  when  you  are  going  to  fish  to  go  where 
the  fish  are;  nowadays  we  have  a  fashion  of  building 
a  big  fish-house  on  a  hill,  and  expecting  the  fish  to 
come  up  out  of  the  water  to  be  caught. 

H.  L.  Hastings. 

The  first  thing  we  must  do  if  we  want  to  win 
sinners  is  to  get  down  to  a  level  with  them.  Don't 
go  under  the  supposition  that  you  are  a  great  deal 
better  than  they.  When  Christ  wanted  to  save  the 
poor  Samaritan  woman  he  traveled  forty  miles  to 
meet  her,  and  in  order  to  gain  her  confidence  and 
reach  her  sympathies  he  asked  her  for  water. 

Marcus  Rainsford. 

When  a  man  gets  up  so  high  that  he  can't  reach 
down  and  save  poor  sinners,  there  is  something 
wrong.  D.  L.  Moody. 

261 


DAY 
VI 


One  great  difference  between  the  Christian  and 
the  non-Christian  worker  is  this:  non-Christian 
workers  say  that  there  is  a  certain  proportion  of 
rnen  who  cannot  be  reached  anyway.  As  a  modern 
English  author  has  said,  '^  There  is  no  substitute  for 
a  good  heart,  and  no  remedy  for  a  bad  one."  Oh, 
frightful  gospel  that  some  of  the  philanthropists  of 
our  day  are  preaching!  Is  that  all  the  message 
they  have  to  the  world— no  remedy  for  a  bad  heart? 
What  means  the  parable  of  the  lost  coin  if,  though 
lost,  there  was  no  gleam  of  its  original  luster? 
What  means  the  parable  of  the  lost  sheep  if  there 
was  not  some  dumb,  inarticulate  longing  for  the 
shelter  of  the  fold?  And  what  means  the  parable 
of  the  lost  son  if  there  was  not  in  those  distant 
fields  a  cry  of  longing  for  the  father's  home  and 
heart  ?  The  Christian  worker  holds  on  to  the  promise 
of  God  in  Isaiah:  "Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet, 
they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow;  though  they  be  red  like 
crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool."  There  is  no  man 
so  low  that  the  gospel  of  Christ  cannot  reach  him; 
there  is  no  people  gone  so  far  astray,  no  slum  in 
the  great  city,  which  the  grace  of  God  cannot  re- 
deem; there  is  no  field  so  dry  and  barren  and  deso- 
late that  when  God  works  with  us  it  may  not  become 
the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

W.  H.  P.  Faunce. 

"  Son  of  man,  prophesy  to  the  bones."  God  says, 
"Do  what  you  can;  bare,  white,  and  glistening 
though  they  be,  preach;  roll  away  the  stone  of 
do-nothingism  and  mere  lamentation,  and  then  trust 
me  for  the  quickening  breath." 

John  McNeill. 


DAY 

vn 


Twelve  men  were  Christ^s  guests  at  his  own  table. 
Their  feet  were  dusty  from  the  road,  and  it  was  the 
business  of  the  servant  to  wash  them.  But  Jesus 
never  kept  any  servants,  and  these  men  were  not 
willing  to  pour  water  on  one  another's  feet.  Peter 
thought,  "It  is  just  as  much  John's  business  to 
wash  my  feet  as  it  is  my  business  to  wash  John's." 
They  said,  "  After  all,  our  feet  are  not  very  dusty, 
and  if  they  should  be  washed  now  they  would  be 
dusty  again  the  minute  we  go  out."  Then  Jesus 
gave  Christianity  its  badge— a  basin  and  a  towel. 
The  world  has  seldom  seen  a  stranger  thing  than 
Jesus  washing  the  feet  of  Judas.  When  he  came 
to  Peter,  Peter  said,  ''Lord,  dost  thou  wash  my 
feet?"  Jesus  said,  "What  I  do  thou  knowest  not 
now,  but  thou  shalt  understand  hereafter."  "  Thou 
shalt  never  wash  my  feet."  "  If  I  wash  thee  not, 
thou  hast  no  part  with  me."  "Lord,  not  my  feet 
only,  but  my  hands  and  my  head."  Be  willing  that 
God  should  give  you  just  as  much  as  he  wants  to 
give.  Are  you?  It  is  a  serious  thing.  He  may 
say,  "  You  want  me  to  give  you  a  very  great  bless- 
ing; very  well;  I  will  let  you  help  bring  China  to 
Christ."  Then  you  say,  "I  did  not  mean  as  much 
as  that;  I  meant  a  little  blessing."  Ah,  be  willing 
that  God  should  choose  the  blessing  and  give  more 
than  you  ask.  Do  not  shrink  back  as  Peter  did. 
Just  take  what  he  gives;  God  knows  best.  There  is 
in  this  world  a  great  deal  that  passes  for  humility 
which  is  pride.  Humility  says,  "  I  am  not  worthy," 
but  to  that  sense  of  unworthiness  comes  the  bless- 
ing that  mercy  and  grace  bestow. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

263 


DAY 

vm 


Why  call  ye  me,  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things  which  I  say  ? 
—Luke  vi.  46. 

Christ  feels  that  he  has  a  right  to  command  us, 
not  only  as  one  who  possesses  us,  but  also  as  one 
who  has  absolute,  unquestionable  authority  over  us, 
as  absolute  as  the  potter's  authority  over  his  clay. 
We  sing  to  this  day  of  the  glory  of  the  "  Charge  of 
the  Light  Brigade."  They  knew  perfectly  well  that 
no  one  was  justified  in  giving  them  the  order  to  ride 
to  needless  annihilation.  No  one  would  have  blamed 
their  refusal  to  obey  that  order.  But  without  ques- 
tioning the  order  they  rode  straight  into  the  jaws 
of  death,  into  the  mouth  of  hell. 

If  men  in  war  will  obey  commands  which  they 
know  to  be  unreasonable  simply  because  given  by 
those  in  authority,  what  shall  be  said  of  us  who  call 
Jesus  Christ  "  Lord,"  who  know  it  is  impossible  for 
him  to  give  us  anything  but  loving  and  reasonable 
commands,  and  who  still  allow  these  commands  to 
go  unheeded  and  disobeyed?  It  is  not  our  place  to 
raise  objections  or  postpone  obedience  by  excuses. 
The  Master  will  take  care  of  things  if  we  obey  him. 
But  if  we  disobey  him  the  laws  which  govern  us 
carry  with  them  curses  to  men  and  women  who  call 
him  "  Master,"  but  fail  to  do  his  bidding.  Can  any 
one  for  one  moment  think  that  we  are  exempt  from 
this  curse?  Why  is  it  that  Satan's  influence  is  so 
strong?  Why  is  it  that  all  Christian  effort  finds  so 
many  almost  insuperable  obstacles  in  its  path  of 
progress?  Simply  because  generation  after  gener- 
ation of  those  who  have  called  Christ  "Master" 
have  failed  to  do  his  bidding,  his  will. 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

264 


K'?ii'Ui*=#^-i^5a^^eTs:'=f^^^^^^  ^-^ 


Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations,  baptiz- 
ing them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.— Matt,  xxviii.  19,  R.  V. 

Do  not  wait  for  a  special  call  to  the  foreign  field. 
Do  not  wait  for  an  avalanche  to  strike  you  or  for  a 
sheet  to  be  let  down  from  heaven.  When  Jehovah 
addressed  Elijah,  was  it  through  the  strong  wind? 
Was  the  Lord  in  the  earthquake  or  in  the  fire? 
Listen  to  the  "still,  small  voice."  It  floats  across 
the  ocean.  The  millions  of  India,  China,  Japan,  and 
Africa  are  crying,  "Come  over  and  help  us."  Who 
are  under  more  obligation  to  go  than  we? 

Robert  P.  Wilder. 

We  who  have  gone  to  the  front  send  back  an 
appealing  voice  to  our  home  churches  in  all  the 
lands  that  support  us,  asking  them  to  hasten  on  the 
reinforcements,  that  the  final  assault  may  now  be 
made.  We  strain  our  ears  to  catch  the  reply. 
What  is  it  that  we  hear?  "  Hold  on!  you  are  going 
too  fast.  The  church  at  home  cannot  afford  to  let 
you  advance  any  further.  Hold  what  you  have 
gained  if  you  can;  but  the  church  of  Christ  is  too 
poor  to  let  you  go  on  to  the  final  assault  for  victory." 
0  merciful  Jesus!  is  it  thus  that  we,  redeemed  by 
thy  precious  blood— we  for  whom  on  Calvary  thou 
didst  cry  in  agony,  "  My  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me?  "—we,  bought  by  the  blood-sweat  drops  in  Geth- 
semane— is  it  thus  that  we  show  the  measure  of  our 
love  to  thee? 

Jacob  Chamberlain. 


265 


DAY 
X 


Good  impulses  are  abundant  and  cheap.  They 
will  never  hold  you  in  a  sharp  fight  unless  you  have 
the  staying  power  which  Christ  imparts.  To  stand 
the  sneers  of  scoffers,  to  resist  the  sudden  rush  for 
wealth,  to  conquer  fleshly  appetites,  to  hold  an  un- 
ruly temper  under  control,  to  keep  base  passions 
subdued,  and  to  direct  all  your  plans  and  purposes 
straight  toward  the  highest  mark  require  a  power 
above  your  own.  Christ's  mastery  of  you  will  give 
you  self-mastery;  yes,  and  mastery  over  the  powers 
of  darkness  and  of  hell.  Faith  will  fire  the  last 
shot,  and  when  the  battle  of  life  ends  you  will  stand 
among  the  crowned  conquerors  in  glory. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

It  may  be  a  diflficult  task  which  is  before  us,  but 
we  must  not  be  discouraged.  Difliculties  are  what 
make  character;  men  who  can  go  into  a  hard  field 
and  succeed— they  are  the  men  we  want.  Any 
quantity  of  men  are  looking  for  easy  places,  but  the 
world  will  never  hear  of  them.  We  want  men  who 
are  looking  for  hard  places,  who  are  willing  to  go 
into  the  darkest  corners  of  the  earth  and  make  those 
dark  places  bloom  like  gardens.  They  can  do  it  if 
the  Lord  is  with  them. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Many  church-members  turn  up  in  Sunday  cloth- 
ing at  popular  conventions  and  for  all  dress-parade 
occasions,  but  when  there  is  a  real  battle  with  evil 
to  be  fought  they  are  missing.  As  one  has  well  said, 
"The  tendency  in  our  day  is  to  take  our  religion  with 
too  many  trimmings." 

D.  W.  Whittle. 

266 


.A^^  DAY 

XI 

We  need,  above  all  things,  more  faith  in  God.  You 
may  say  that  we  cannot  have  too  much  of  that.  Yes, 
we  can.  When  Jesus  was  tempted  of  the  devil  he 
was  taken  up  on  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  and  the 
devil  said,  "  Jump  down."  Our  Lord  replied,  "  Why 
should  I  jump  dou^i?"  "Why,  simply  because  the 
Bible  says  that  God  will  give  his  angels  charge  over 
thee,  and  they  shall  bear  thee  up  in  their  hands, 
lest  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone.  Now  your 
Father  in  heaven  will  not  allow  you  to  dash  your 
foot  against  a  stone,  so  you  just  jump  over  and  trust 
to  him."  Jesus  answered,  "Thou  shalt  not  tempt 
the  Lord  thy  God."  You  shall  not  jump  off  the 
pinnacle  of  any  temple  unless  you  are  called  to  do 
it  in  the  service  of  God  and  for  his  glory;  you  shall 
not  do  it  simply  for  the  purpose  of  testing  whether 
God  will  keep  his  promise  or  not.  There  is  the  great 
weakness  of  our  Christian  life  and  faith.  We  ask 
God  for  something  very  earnestly,  but  without  a 
thought  as  to  whether  we  are  tempting  God  or 
whether  we  are  showing  faith  in  him. 

Faith  in  God  leaves  off  and  insanity  and  tempting 
and  recklessness  begin  at  the  moment  when  we  ask 
for  more  power  and  greater  faith,  while  we  intend 
to  use  them  for  any  other  purpose  than  for  his  o^^m 
divine  glory.  If  God  had  said  to  Jesus,  "  Jump  off 
the  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  for  it  will  be  to  my 
glory,"  he  would  have  leaped  off.  But  when  it  was 
only  bringing  God's  power  and  providence  to  bear 
upon  his  life  \\ith  no  advantage  to  the  kingdom  of 
God,  he  said,  "That  is  tempting  God."  You  have 
no  right  to  exercise  faith  in  getting  from  God  that 
which  does  not  add  to  his  glory. 

Russell  H.  Conwell. 

267 


DAY 

xn 


If  thou  canst  believe,  all  things  are  possible  to  him  that  be- 
lieveth,— Mark  ix,  23. 

Why  is  there  no  water  in  the  pipes  of  some  of 
our  houses  in  winter?  It  is  not  because  the  city 
has  no  water-supply;  it  is  not  because  the  streets 
are  not  threaded  all  through  their  length  from  the 
great  reservoirs  with  a  perfect  system  of  piping;  it 
is  not  that  the  system  of  piping  does  not  go  into 
every  house.  Then  why  do  we  turn  the  tap  in  vain 
in  our  houses?  Because  there  is  a  block  of  ice  in 
the  pipes.  Why  is  the  blessing  not  leaping  and 
laughing  like  bubbling  water  through  humanity? 
It  is  not  because  the  great  ocean  and  fountain  of 
fullness  is  not  there;  it  is  not  because  the  links  of 
communication  between  divine  fullness  and  our 
emptiness  are  not  formed.  Christ  is  there  and  his 
church  is  here,  and  all  the  channels  and  tubes  and 
pipes  of  prayer  and  promise  and  supplication  are 
there.  What  is  WTong?  There  is  ice  in  the  pipe; 
that  is  the  trouble.  The  frost  has  come  on  our 
hearts— we  are  frozen,  and  need  to  be  thawed  out 
by  the  fire  of  the  Holy  Spirit.        John  McNeill. 

Men  tell  me  that  the  day  of  miracles  has  passed, 
but  I  answer  no.  Miracles  have  not  ceased.  Faith 
has  ceased.  God  offers  all  things  to  him  who  has  the 
faith  to  claim  them.  When  he  said, "  Be  filled  with  the 
Spirit,"  he  simply  declared  that  this  was  possible. 
When  the  will  is  surrendered  he  in  whose  dispensa- 
tion we  live  will  come  in  and  fill  us.  And  the  result 
is  a  kind  of  passive  activity,  as  if  one  were  ^vrought 
upon  and  controlled  by  some  power  outside  of  him- 
self. J.  Wilbur  Chapman. 
268 


DAY 

xm 

The  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet  given;  because  that  Jesus  was  not 
yet  glorified.— John  vii.  39. 

What  was  true  in  the  objective  life  of  Christ  must 
be  true  of  the  subjective  life  of  the  Christian.  Only 
when  Christ  is  King  in  your  heart  will  you  have  the 
fullness  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  given  to  make  the  presence  of 
Jesus  an  abiding  reality,  a  continual  experience. 
The  joy  unspeakable,  the  joy  that  nothing  can  take 
away,  the  joy  of -the  nearness  and  friendship  and 
love  of  Jesus,  fills  our  hearts.  This  alone  will  en- 
able us  to  live  in  the  rest  of  God.  There  is  only 
one  hindrance:  God's  people  do  not  know  their  Sa- 
viour. They  have  no  conception  of  Jesus  as  an  ever- 
present,  all-pervading,  indwelling  Christ,  who  longs 
to  take  charge  of  our  whole  life.  Why  can  we  not 
trust  our  glorious,  exalted,  almighty,  ever-present 
Christ  perfectly  to  do  his  work  and  bring  us  into  the 
rest  of  God?  A  man  can  endure  almost  anything 
for  the  hope  of  joy;  Jesus  himself,  "  for  the  joy  that 
was  set  before  him,  endured  the  cross."  A  sighing 
and  a  trembling  and  a  doubting  life  is  not  right. 
Believe  that  the  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  meant  for 
you.  Do  you  not  loelieve  that  this  adorable  Son  of 
God,  who  shed  his  blood  for  you,  could  fill  your 
heart  with  delight  day  and  night,  if  he  were  always 
present?  He  is  longing  for  you,  because  he  needs 
you  to  satisfy  his  heart  of  love.  Let  him  have  your 
whole  heart,  and  the  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  be 
your  portion. 

Andrew  Murray. 

269 


DAY 
XIV 

All  day  long  I  have  stretched  forth  my  hands  unto  a  disobedi- 
ent and  gainsaying  people.— Rom.  x.  21. 

Have  we  ever  thought  of  those  "  hands  stretched 
forth  "  from  heaven  to  this  world,  draining  themselves 
of  love,  if  it  were  possible,  toward  "  disobedient  and 
gainsaying  people  "  ?  '\All  day  long  I  have  stretched 
forth  my  hands,"  saith  the  Lord.  Is  not  this  wonder- 
ful—wonderful ?  Men  have  to  run  away  from  the 
love  of  God  if  they  are  ever  without  it.  They  must 
get  somewhere— I  know  not  where;  some  strange 
cell  of  their  own  invention  must  be  found  by  men 
who  would  escape  the  love  of  God;  for  God's  hands 
are  stretched  out,  and  they  drip  with  riches  of  mercy. 
Yet  drops  would  not  suffice,  for,  as  we  sing: 

"  Mercy-drops  round  us  are  falling, 
But  for  the  showers  we  plead." 

And  these  show^ers  of  blessing  are  really  falling  upon 
us  all.  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

This  poor  lost  world  that  has  swung  out  into  the 
cold  and  the  dark  doesn't  know  anything  about  the 
love  of  God,  and  if  we  do  not  love  men  with  the 
same  kind  of  love  that  Jesus  had  for  this  lost  world, 
we  are  not  going  to  reach  them.  I  wish  we  could 
rise  to  a  higher  plane  of  duty  and  let  love  be  the 
motive  power.  How  easy  it  is  to  work  for  God  if 
the  heart  is  filled  with  love!  and  if  it  is  not  filled 
with  love  let  us  pray  God  to  fill  it  with  love.  What 
we  want  is  to  be  baptized  with  the  love  of  Christ 
for  this  world,  and  if  we  are  full  of  love  for  the 
perishing,  we  are  sure  to  succeed. 

P,  L,  Moody. 

270 


DAY 
XV 


In  this  the  children  of  God  are  manifest,  and  the  children  of 
the  devil:  whosoever  doeth  not  righteousness  is  not  of  God,  nei- 
ther he  that  loveth  not  his  brother.— 1  John  iii.  10, 

One  of  the  greatest  services  of  Jesus  to  the  world 
was  to  harmonize  religion  and  morality.  He  would 
not  allow  neglect  of  man  to  be  covered  by  zeal  for 
God,  but  ever  taught  that  he  only  loves  God  who 
loves  his  brother  also. 

James  Stalker. 

Tell  me  to  love  an  unlovely  person  or  one  I  have 
never  seen,— some  heathen  in  Africa  or  China,— and 
I  cannot  do  it  unless  God  puts  the  love  for  them  in 
my  heart.  But  when  the  Holy  Ghost  sheds  abroad 
the  love  of  God  in  our  hearts,  we  shall  have  the 
same  kind  of  love  that  Jesus  Christ  had.  What  we 
want  is  to  be  baptized  with  the  Spirit  of  Calvary. 
Mr.  Spurgeon,  a  few  years  before  he  died,  went  to 
visit  a  friend  who  had  built  a  new  barn,  on  which 
was  a  weather-vane,  and  on  that  weather-vane  the 
text,  '^  God  is  love."  Mr.  Spurgeon  said,  "  Do  you 
mean  that  God's  love  is  as  changeable  as  the  wind?  " 
"No,"  said  his  friend;  "I  mean  to  say  that  God  is 
love  whichever  way  the  wind  blows."  So  if  a  man 
is  filled  with  the  Spirit,  he  will  be  filled  with  love 
whichever  way  the  wind  blows. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

The  only  greatness  is  unselfish  love.  .  .  .  There  is 
a  great  difference  between  trying  to  please  and  giving 
pleasure. 

Henry  Drummond. 


271 


DAY 
XVI 


Two  Germans  wanted  to  climb  the  Matterhorn, 
near  which  they  were  staying.  They  took  three 
guides,  and  began  to  climb  the  mountain  in  its 
steepest  and  most  slippery  part.  When  traveling 
thus  they  rope  themselves  together;  there  was  first 
a  guide,  next  a  traveler,  then  another  guide,  then 
the  second  traveler,  and  finally  a  guide— five  men  in 
all.  When  they  had  been  ascending  for  a  short 
time  the  guide  at  the  bottom  began  to  slip,  but  was 
held  up  by  the  other  four,  whose  feet  rested  in 
niches  cut  in  the  rock;  but  the  last  pulled  down  the 
man  just  above  him,  and  these  two  dislodged  the 
next,  and  the  three  the  one  above  them.  The  only 
man  who  kept  his  footing  was  the  first,  who  drove 
his  ax  with  all  his  might  into  the  ice  before  him  and 
clung  to  it;  and  as  he  stood,  the  man  beneath  re- 
gained his  footing,  and  so  the  next  and  the  next  and 
the  next,  and  the  whole  party  were  saved  because 
the  first  man  stood  his  ground. 

I  am  one  of  those  men  that  slipped,  but,  thank 
God,  I  am  bound  in  living  partnership  to  Christ  in 
glory,  and  because  he  stands,  I  can  never  be  cast 
away.  F.  B.  Meyer. 


The  penitent  thief  turned  to  Jesus  when  of  the 
whole  world  he  alone  was  praying  to  Christ.  Do 
not  wait  to  see  what  others  do.  There  must  be 
personal  intrustment  of  the  soul  to  Jesus'  death  to  sin ; 
personal  acceptance  of  Jesus  to  do  the  mighty  work. 

Andrew  Murray, 


272 


.A^^  DAY 

xvn 

The  gospels  nowhere  describe  Christ's  character. 
They  nowhere  tell  us  that  he  was  dignified  under 
insult,  calm  before  opposition,  submissive  under 
suffering,  indignant  at  the  sight  of  hypocrisy,  sym- 
pathetic with  sorrow.  These  characteristics  are 
manifested  by  him,  but  never  affirmed  of  him.  They 
appear  only  in  his  words  and  acts.  The  writers  of 
the  first  three  gospels  make  no  attempt  at  delinea- 
tion; they  are  apparently  quite  unconscious  that 
they  are  giving  to  the  world  a  portrait;  they  make 
Christ  speak  and  act  before  us,  and  we  form  our 
judgment  of  his  character  independently,  as  if  we 
had  seen  and  heard  him  ourselves.  Whatever  feel- 
ings may  spring  from  reading  the  gospels,  they  are 
never  the  result  of  sympathy  with  the  writers.  One 
could  not  be  sure,  judging  simply  from  their  style, 
that  the  synoptic  evangelists  were  not  indifferent 
spectators  of  what  they  recorded.  There  is  no 
writing  for  effect,  no  exhibition  of  their  own  opin- 
ions, but  an  unadorned  narrative  which  simply  re- 
counts the  words  and  works  of  Christ.  From  these 
we  get  a  distinct  conception  of  this  divine-human 
character.  Josiah  Strong. 

,  Many  Christs  are  now  preached,  but  we  know  only 
one— Jesi^s.  To  some,  alas!  he  is  a  myth  or  fabled 
god;  to  others  merely  a  hero,  philosopher,  or  poet. 
Alas  for  such  as  are  swept  down  the  rapid  cur- 
rent of  humanitarianism,  or  are  swallowed  in  the 
vortex  of  religious  infidelity!  Better  believe  in  no 
Christ  than  be  guilty  of  acknowledging  a  perverted 
or  mutilated  Christ.  Better  renounce  all  belief  in 
the  supernatural  and  spiritual  if  to  us  Christ  is  not 
verily  divine,  if  Jesus  is  not  God  manifest  in  flesh. 

George  C.  Needham. 

273 


DAY 

xvin 


When  I  see  the  blood,  I  will  pass  over  you.— Exod.  xii.  13. 

God  did  not  say  to  Israel,  and  he  does  not  say  to 
us,  "When  I  see  your  good  works,  your  good  in- 
tentions, your  righteousness,"  but  "  When  I  see  the 
blood,  I  will  pass  over  you."  What  made  those  Is- 
raelites safe  in  Goshen  when  the  Egjrptians  were  all 
exposed  to  death?  It  was  not  their  righteousness, 
but  it  was  an  act  of  obedience;  it  was  putting  the 
blood  upon  their  homes.  Some  people  say  that  it 
is  not  the  death  of  Christ  that  atones  for  sin  and 
that  is  going  to  help  men,  but  that  it  is  the  life  and 
teaching  of  Christ,  the  moral  example,  that  it  is 
preaching  his  character,  that  will  reform  the  world. 
God  didn't  say,  "  When  I  see  a  live  lamb  tied  at  your 
door-post,  I  will  pass  over  you."  If  some  Israelite  had 
tried  that,  death  would  have  laid  his  hand  on  the 
first-born  in  that  house.  But  it  was  the  death  of  the 
lamb.  Many  men  seem  to  think  that  if  they  were 
only  as  good  as  Moses  or  Aaron  or  Caleb  or  Joshua, 
they  would  be  perfectly  safe.  But  the  babe  in  his 
mother's  arms  was  just  as  safe  as  Moses  or  Caleb  or 
Aaron,  or  any  other  of  the  Israelites.  It  was  the 
blood  that  made  them  safe;  it  was  not  their  own 
righteousness.  If  you  are  sheltered  behind  the 
blood,  you  are  as  safe  as  if  you  were  in  heaven  to- 
day. Some  one  has  said  that  a  little  fly  in  Noah's 
ark  was  as  safe  as  the  elephant.  It  was  not  the 
strength  of  the  elephant  that  made  him  safe,  but  it 
was  the  ark  that  saved  the  elephant  as  well  as  the 
fly;  so  it  is  the  blood  of  Christ  that  saves  us. 

D.  L.  Moody. 


274 


..^^^  DAY 

XIX 


We  also  joy  in  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom 
we  have  now  received  the  atonement.— Rom.  v.  11. 

Sin  and  guilt  produced  entire  and  hopeless  alien- 
ation between  God  and  man.  The  effect  of  Christ's 
work  is  twofold :  first,  it  makes  possible  in  God  the 
reconciliation  with  man  by  the  satisfaction  made  to 
a  broken  law  and  a  dishonored  government;  and 
second,  it  makes  possible  man's  reconciliation  with 
God  by  the  regeneration  of  his  sinful  nature.  As 
alienation  is  mutual,  so  reconciliation  must  be  mu- 
tual. Paul  represents  the  reconciliation  between 
man  and  God  as  already  partial;  i.  e.,  on  God's  side, 
in  Christ,  the  attitude  of  reconciliation  has  been 
taken.  "  God  was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world 
unto  himself."  And  so  all  that  remains  is  for  man 
to  turn  toward  God.  He  therefore  adds,  ''  We  pray 
you  in  Christ's  stead,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God." 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

The  details  of  the  atonement  are  questions  which 
concern  the  government  of  God.  If  we  choose  to 
pry  into  them  w^e  shall  find  w^e  are  undertaking  a 
very  difficult  task.  The  attempts  to  explain  the 
process  of  salvation  simply  lead  people  into  confu- 
sion. I  think  that  emphasis  ought  to  be  placed  upon 
the  whole  work  of  Christ  m^ore  than  it  has  ever 
been.  The  atonement  is  a  question  of  status,  man's 
standing  in  God's  sight.  Christ  would  also  have  us 
concerned  about  reproducing  his  life  among  men. 

Henry  Drummond. 


275 


DAY 
XX 


There  is  a  popular  impression  abroad  that  repen- 
tance is  simply  sorrow  for  sin.  A  man  may  be  sorry 
for  sin  simply  because  of  the  consequences  of  sin 
which  he  has  experienced,  or  because  of  the  conse- 
quences which  some  other  person  whom  he  loves 
has  experienced;  and  yet  he  may  not  be  so  sorry  for 
sin  but  that,  as  soon  as  those  consequences  are 
removed,  or  even  before,  he  will  commit  that  very 
same  sin  again  and  with  delight.  Pharaoh  was 
sorry  for  sin;  yes,  bitterly  sorry  for  disobeying  God 
every  time  one  of  those  dreadful  plagues  came  down 
upon  him  and  his  household  and  nation;  and  yet  the 
moment  the  plague  was  removed  Pharaoh  was  the 
same  as  before,  and  his  heart  was  as  hard  against 
God  as  it  had  ever  been.  Again,  a  man  may  be 
sorry  for  sin,  that  is,  for  some  particular  sin,  with- 
out being  at  all  sorry  for  some  other  sins  which 
bring  him  no  difficulty,  and  at  present  no  bitter 
consequences.  Herod  is  a  case  in  point  here.  It 
is  wi'itten  that  the  preaching  of  John  the  Baptist 
made  quite  an  impression  upon  Herod.  When  he 
heard  John,  Herod  "did  many  things,  and  heard 
him  gladly."  The  inference  is  that,  as  a  result  of 
John's  preaching,  Herod  laid  aside  certain  of  his 
external  sins,  that  he  reformed  in  certain  particu- 
lars; but  we  know  that,  like  Pharaoh,  he  never  ex- 
perienced repentance,  for  not  long  after,  in  a  drunken 
debauch,  he  permitted  the  murder  of  the  man  whom 
he  feared,  and  whose  preaching  he  received  appa- 
rently with  such  gladness  of  heart.  Whatever  re- 
pentance may  be,  it  is  not  simply  sorrow  for  sin. 

James  M.  Gray. 


276 


XXI 

A  young  girl  who  had  run  away  from  home  was 
living  a  life  of  sin,  and  her  mother  wanted  a  friend 
to  find  her  daughter.  This  friend  took  a  number  of 
photographs  of  the  mother,  and  wrote  down  beneath 
the  sweet  face  these  words:  "  Come  back."  Then  he 
took  those  pictures  down  into  the  haunts  of  Bin  and 
the  mission  stations,  and  left  them  there.  Not  long 
after  this  daughter  was  going  into  a  place  of  sin  and 
there  she  saw  the  face  of  her  mother.  The  tears  ran 
down  her  face  so  that  at  first  she  could  not  see  the 
words  beneath;  but  she  brushed  away  the  tears  and 
looked,  and  there  they  were:  "Come  back."  She 
went  out  to  her  old  home,  and  when  she  put  her 
hand  on  the  latch  the  door  was  open,  and  when  she 
stepped  in  her  mother,  with  her  arms  about  her, 
said,  "  My  dear  child,  the  door  has  never  been  fast- 
ened since  you  went  away."  The  door  of  God's 
great  heart  of  love  has  never  been  closed  against 
his  sinning  and  erring  children;  it  is  wide  open. 

J.  Wilbur  Chapman. 

Sometimes  a  sinner  will  be  brought  to  realize  his 
position  and  the  need  of  immediate  acceptance  of 
Christ  by  showing  him  the  uncertainty  of  life.  I 
remember  once  talking  to  a  young  man  before 
others.  Said  I,  "I  want  you  to  promise  me  that 
you  will  not  become  a  Christian  for  one  year." 
"  Oh  my!  No,  sir! "  said  he.  I  shortened  it  a  little: 
"Will  you  make  it  six  months?"  That  seemed  to 
sober  him.  "No,"  he  said;  "I  will  make  it  a 
month."  "  No,  no."  "  I  will  make  it  a  week."  The 
Lord  blessed  that  to  his  awakening.  He  realized 
that  he  v/as  not  sure  of  his  life  for  a  single  day. 

A.  F.  SCHAUFFLER. 

277 


DAY 

xxn 


Resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  j'^ou.— James  iv.  7. 

Resist  him  when  he  comes  ^vith  subtle  doubts,  with 
difficult  questions,  with  hard  and  bitter  things 
against  you;  drive  him  back  by  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit  and  the  shield  of  faith;  quench  all  his  fiery 
darts,  and  listen  to  the  voice  of  God. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

Billy  Bray,  the  Cornish  miner  whose  rugged  piety 
has  been  a  blessing  to  so  many  of  God's  children, 
gives  much  instruction  in  his  quaint  way  as  to  how 
to  treat  the  temptations  of  Satan.  He  says  that 
one  day,  when  he  was  a  little  downhearted,  he  stood 
upon  the  brink  of  a  coal-pit,  and  some  one  seemed 
to  say,  "  Now,  Billy,  just  throw  yourself  down  there 
and  be  rid  of  all  your  trouble."  He  knew  in  a 
minute  who  it  was,  and,  drawing  back,  said,  "  Oh 
no,  Satan;  you  can  just  throw  yourself  down  there. 
That  is  your  way  home;  but  I  am  going  to  my  home 
in  a  different  direction."  Another  time  his  crop  of 
potatoes  turned  out  poorly;  and  as  he  was  digging 
them  in  the  fall,  Satan  was  at  his  elbow  and  said, 
"  There,  Billy,  isn't  that  poor  pay  for  serving  your 
Father  the  way  you  have  all  the  year?  Just  see 
those  small  potatoes."  He  stopped  hoeing  and  re- 
plied, "Ah,  Satan,  at  it  again— talking  against  my 
Father,  bless  his  name!  Why,  when  I  served  you  I 
didn't  get  any  potatoes  at  all.  What  are  you  talking 
against  Father  for?"  And  on  he  went  hoeing  and 
praising  the  Lord  for  small  potatoes— a  valuable 
lesson  for  us  all. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 


278 


DAY 

xxm 


0  wretched  man  that  I  am!  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the 
body  of  this  death?  I  thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord.— Rom.  vii.  24,  25. 

The  bitterest  experience  with  most  believers  is  the 
presence  and  power  of  sin.  They  long  to  walk 
through  this  grimy  world  with  pure  hearts  and 
stainless  garments.  But  when  they  would  do  good, 
evil  is  present  v/ith  them.  They  consent  to  God's 
law,  that  it  is  good;  they  endeavor  to  keep  it;  but 
they  seem  as  unable  to  perform  it  as  a  man  whose 
brain  has  been  smitten  with  paralysis  is  unable  to 
walk  straight.  AVhat  rivers  of  tears  have  been 
shed  over  the  penitents'  psalm  by  those  who  could 
repeat  it  every  word  from  the  heart!  And  what 
regiments  of  weary  feet  have  trodden  the  Bridge  of 
Sighs,  if  we  may  so  call  the  seventh  of  Romans, 
which  sets  forth  in  vivid  force  the  experience  of  a 
man  who  has  not  learned  God's  secret! 

Surely  our  God  must  have  provided  for  all  this. 
It  would  not  have  been  like  him  to  fill  us  with  hatred 
to  sin  and  longings  for  holiness  if  there  were  no 
escape  from  the  tyranny  of  the  one,  and  no  possi- 
bility of  attaining  the  other.  It  would  be  a  small 
matter  to  save  us  from  sinning  on  the  other  side  of 
the  pearly  gate;  we  want  to  be  saved  from  sinning 
now  and  in  this  dark  world.  We  want  it  for  the 
sake  of  the  world,  that  it  may  be  attracted  and  con- 
vinced. We  want  it  for  our  own  peace,  which  can- 
not be  perfected  while  we  groan  under  a  worse  than 
Egyptian  bondage.  We  want  it  for  the  glory  of 
God,  which  would  be  then  reflected  from  us  with 
undimming  brightness,  as  sunshine  from  burnished 
metal.  Thank  God,  we  may  have  deliverance  through 
Jesus  Christ.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

279 


DAY 

xxrv 

A  great  many  people  have  consciences  which  are 
morbidly  scrupulous.  They  are  constantly  asking, 
"  Ought  I  to  wear  jewels  ?  "  "  Ought  I  to  go  to  this, 
that,  or  the  other  place?"  What  would  a  young 
man  think  if,  when  he  came  to  spend  one  hour  a 
week  in  the  com.pany  of  his  loved  one,  she  was  all 
the  while  upstairs  before  the  dressing-glass,  putting 
on  now  this  and  now  the  other  thing,  and  seeing 
how  she  looked  in  them,  until  the  last  three  minutes 
of  his  hour,  when  she  would  come  down,  hoping 
that,  on  the  whole,  she  v/ould  suit?  Now  a  scru- 
pulous conscience  is  always  keeping  the  soul  wonder- 
ing as  to  what  will  suit  Christ.  You  should  ask 
Christ  to  show  you  what  he  would  have  you  do. 
An  enlightened  conscience  is  the  contrast,  the 
antipodes,  to  a  scrupulous  conscience,  and  if  you 
want  to  have  an  enlightened  conscience,  bathe  it 
in  the  truth  of  God's  Word.  Some  people  think 
that  the  law  of  God  is  soap  to  cleanse  them  with. 
It  is  not  soap;  it  is  a  looking-glass  in  which  they 
may  see  themselves  and  com.pare  themselves  with 
God's  eternal  standard  of  rectitude. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

We  cannot  be  justified  by  the  law  which  we  have 
broken.  Christ  would  have  committed  spiritual 
adultery  if  he  had  brought  us  into  union  with  him- 
self before  he  had  broken  the  connection  between 
us  and  our  first  husband.  But  Christ  died  in  our 
place,  that  he  might  destroy  him  that  had  the  power 
of  death;  and  when  he  had  overthrown  him  he  rose 
triumphant,  and  in  the  power  of  an  endless  life  he 
wedded  the  soul  that  believes  in  him.  Now,  in 
union  with  the  risen  Lord,  the  Christian  brings  forth 
fruit  unto  God.  Marcus  Rainsford. 

280 


DAY 
XXV 


When  God  made  this  world  he  made  laws  to  regu- 
late it.  This  universe  could  not  exist  if  it  were  not 
for  law,  and  there  cannot  be  a  law  without  a  penalty 
for  its  violation.  The  controversy  of  Eden  is  not 
settled  yet.  God  said,  "  The  soul  that  sinneth,  it 
shall  die."  Satan  walked  in  and  said,  "  You  will  not 
die  if  you  sin."  Adam  believed  Satan's  lie,  and  that 
is  where  he  fell,  and  you  and  I  are  to  rise  on  the 
spot  where  he  tumbled.  The  law  has  been  broken, 
and  the  penalty  must  be  met.  I  must  either  die  or 
find  some  one  to  die  for  me.  Why  does  God  demand 
blood?  It  is  the  life  of  all  flesh,  and  all  flesh  has 
sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God;  and  how 
can  the  law  of  God  be  kept,  and  how  can  God  jus- 
tify me  without  ignoring  his  law  ?  It  is  an  absurdity 
to  have  a  law  without  a  penalty.  Suppose  that  no 
penalty  should  be  attached  to  the  law  against  steal- 
ing; some  man  would  have  my  pocket-book  inside 
of  five  minutes.  It  is  not  the  law  that  people  are 
afraid  of;  it  is  the  penalty.  I  believe  there  was 
one  legislature  that  made  a  law  and  forgot  to 
attach  a  penalty,  and  it  was  the  laughing-stock  of 
the  day.  Do  you  suppose  God  has  made  a  law  with- 
out a  penalty  ?  What  an  absurd  thing  it  would  be ! 
Now,  there  is  a  penalty;  it  is  death.  I  must  either 
die  or  get  somebody  to  die  for  m.e,  and  if  that  old 
Book  does  not  teach  that  doctrine  it  does  not  teach 
anything.  It  teaches  it  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end.  If  God  turned  Adam^  out  of  Eden  for  that 
one  sin,  do  you  think  he  is  going  to  allow  us  into 
heaven  with  ten  thousand  sins? 

D.  L.  Moody. 


281 


DAY 
XXVI 


Wherefore  he  is  able  also  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  that 
come  unto  God  by  him,  seeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make  interces- 
sion for  them.— Heb.  vii.  25. 

Christ  Jesus  is  able  to  save  forever  and  forever, 
because  he  is  the  same  unchangeable  priest;  he  is 
able  to  save— to  save  unto  completeness;  not  simply 
to  begin  it  and  keep  at  it  awhile,  but  to  complete- 
ness. Oh,  the  wrecks  in  human  history  of  things 
that  men  began  with  noble  intent  and  sustained  with 
high  endeavor;  but  they  died,  and  their  work  fell 
through  and  passed  away.  Our  Saviour  "  is  able  to 
complete  the  salvation  of  them  that  come  to  God 
through  him,  seeing  he  ever  liveth." 

John  A.  Broadus. 

A  dear  old  woman  lay  dying,  and  an  infidel  came 
in  to  scoff  at  her,  and  said,  "  They  tell  me  you  are 
not  afraid  to  die  and  are  very  happy."  "  Yes,  thank 
God."  "  Do  you  believe  in  a  God  ?  "  "  Yes,  I  do." 
"Do  you  believe  God  punishes  sin?"  "Yes,  I  do." 
Then  the  infidel  said,  "  I  should  like  to  know  how 
you  are  happy,  for  if  there  ever  was  a  bad  old 
woman  you  are  one.  If  what  you  say  could  be  be- 
lieved, it  would  be  a  great  deal  too  good  to  be  true." 
She  looked  him  in  the  face  and  said,  "It  is— it  is  a 
deal  too  good  to  be  true;  but,  bless  the  Lord,  it  is 
true,  for  all  that!" 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

Our  repentance  is  far  from  being  the  condition  of 
God's  forgiveness;  the  fact  is,  our  tears  need  wash- 
ing in  the  blood  of  Christ  before  they  can  be  accept- 
able. God  was  in  Christ  putting  away  the  obstacles 
to  our  communion  with  him.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

282 


<^^  DAY 

XX  vn 


I  give  unto  them  eternal  life;  and  they  shall  never  perish, 
neither  shall  any  man  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand.— John  x.  28. 

What  a  place  of  protection!  But,  as  if  to  make 
it  stronger,  Jesus  goes  on  to  say,  ''  My  Father  .  .  . 
is  greater  than  all;  and  no  man  is  able  to  pluck 
them  out  of  my  Father's  hand.  I  and  my  Fatjier 
are  one."  Here  is  our  position,  in  the  hand  of 
Christ,  the  hand  that  swung  the  worlds  off  into 
space,  the  hand  that  brushes  the  tear  from  a  weep- 
ing woman's  face.  Then  just  above  us  is  placed  the 
hand  of  the  Father,  the  hand  that  holds  the  winds 
and  turns  them  whithersoever  he  will;  the  Father 
and  the  Son  are  one  in  holding  us  safe.  What  pro- 
tection—held between  the  hands  of  the  Father  and 
of  the  Son! 

J.  Wilbur  Chapman. 

There  are  three  classes  of  people  who  never  ought 
to  have  assurance:  those  who  have  never  been  con- 
verted, but  have  joined  a  church  to  get  assurance, 
those  who  believe  but  do  not  confess  Christ,  and 
those  who  are  unwilling  to  work  for  Christ.  God 
never  intended  a  lazy  person  to  have  assurance. 
Somebody  has  said,  "  If  you  want  to  be  discouraged, 
look  within;  if  you  want  to  be  distracted,  look  about; 
but  if  you  want  to  be  satisfied,  look  up."  Some 
people  live  on  doubts,  because  they  have  nothing 
else  to  do.  Just  be  occupied  mth  the  Master  and 
his  work,  and  you  mil  have  assurance.  No  matter 
what  the  feeling,  the  relation  with  God  is  the  same, 
and  even  death  cannot  change  it. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

283 


DAY 

xxvra 


Now  the  God  of  peace  .  .  .  make  you  perfect  in  every  good 
work  to  do  his  will,  working  in  you  that  which  is  well  pleasing 
in  his  sight,  through  Jesus  Christ ;  to  whom  be  glory  for  ever 
and  ever.    Amen.— Heb.  xiii.  20,  21. 

In  order  to  this  we  must  receive  a  complete  bap- 
tism of  the  life-giving  blood  and  yield  ourselves  un- 
reservedly to  its  influence.  According  to  the  old 
Scandinavian  legend,  "Siegfried  slew  Fafnir,  and 
in  the  hot  blood  of  his  foe  he  bathed  himself,  and 
so  took  on,  as  it  were,  an  outer  covering  of  new  life, 
rendering  himself  sword-proof  save  at  a  single  point, 
where  a  leaf  of  the  linden-tree  fell  between  his 
shoulders  and  shielded  the  flesh  from  the  life-impart- 
ing blood." 

Christians,  you  claim  to  have  been  baptized  with 
blood,— the  blood,  not  of  a  foe,  but  of  your  covenant 
Friend,— and  it  is  life-giving  blood,  but  is  it  a  full 
baptism?  Is  there  no  linden-leaf  betwixt  your 
shoulders?  Is  there  no  unsurrendered  sin  that 
makes  you  vulnerable  still  to  the  assaults  of  Satan? 
The  tragedy  of  many  a  life  pivots  on  the  reservation 
of  some  one  cherished  purpose.  How  many  unbap- 
tized  dollars,  how  many  unbaptized  talents,  how  many 
unbaptized  ambitions,  might  be  found  in  the  visible 
church?  What  is  your  reservation?  What  is  the 
besetting  sin  that  prevents  you  from  demonstrating 
daily  your  identity  of  nature  with  the  Son  of  God? 
Give  it  up!  It  is  the  death-spot  in  your  armor! 
Invulnerable  you  cannot  be  until  you  bring  the  whole 
life  under  the  influence  of  that  shielding  blood.  Do 
that,  and  the  very  God  of  peace  will  sanctify  you 
wholly,  and  your  whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body  will 
be  preserved  blameless  "unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  W.  W,  Moore. 

284 


mkj,/^   — ^«^    «=N>»     4.  ^^G>^fl<aC-t#'  DAY" 

XXIX 


Happy  is  he  that  condemneth  not  himself  in  that  thing  which 
he  alloweth.— Rom.  xiv.  22. 

Apply  that  rule  to  your  daily  life  and  you  will 
soon  settle  the  questions  about  a  pleasure  or  busi- 
ness. Can  I  go  into  partnership  with  one  who  serves 
man  and  the  devil?  How  can  Christ  have  fellow- 
ship with  Belial  ?  Do  not  deceive  yourself  with  the 
idea  you  are  going  to  do  good.  If  you  make  your- 
self one  with  the  world  on  the  plea  of  raising  the 
world  to  God,  you  know  that  you  will  have  to  pay 
for  it  in  the  day  of  the  Lord's  settlement. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

There  is  a  subtle  leakage  of  power  in  a  man  who 
is  inconsistent  with  his  best  self.  He  may  not  show 
it,  he  may  seem  as  devoted  and  earnest  as  possible, 
but  there  is  a  loss  of  the  dynamics  of  spiritual  force, 
and  the  devil  knows  it  and  says,  "  I  need  not  worry; 
his  sins  are  sufficient  antidote  for  his  work." 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

A  man  cannot  have  the  kingdom  of  God  first,  and 
then  at  times,  by  way  of  relaxation,  throw  it  off  and 
seek  his  own  enjoyment  in  the  things  of  this  world. 
People  have  an  idea  that  life  will  become  too  solemn, 
too  great  a  strain,  if  they  have  the  kingdom  of  God 
first  continually.  Every  one  feels  at  once  how  wrong 
it  is  to  think  thus.  The  presence  of  the  love  of  God 
must  every  moment  be  our  highest  joy. 

Andrew  Murray. 

Many  Christians  get  cold  warming  themselves  by 
this  world's  fires.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

285 


XXX     "^""^T^^ 

Your  consecration  is  not  so  much  a  consecration 
which  you  make  to  Christ  as  a  consecration  which 
Christ  makes  of  you  to  himself.  The  one  conspicu- 
ous instance  of  consecration  in  the  New  Testament 
is  where  Jesus  says  to  the  Father  in  his  prayer,  "Fa- 
ther, I  consecrate  myself."  He  could  do  it.  To 
consecrate  means  to  appoint,  to  ordain,  to  separate 
or  sanctify.  If  Christ  had  been  a  modern  preacher 
he  would  have  said,  "Now,  my  friends,  consecrate 
yourselves."  He  did  not  say  that,  but,  "I  conse- 
crate myself;  Father  in  heaven,  consecrate  my  dis- 
ciples. I  separate  myself;  Father,  separate  them." 
If  there  is  any  consecration  that  is  effective,  Christ 
must  consecrate  us  to  his  service.  There  seems  to 
be  a  provision  for  a  periodical  consecration  which 
ought  not  to  be  in  any  calendar  or  any  meeting. 
Never  appoint  a  time  a  month  ahead  for  a  conse- 
cration meeting.  Well,  but  you  say  you  may  fall 
away.  Very  well;  but  don't  provide  for  it  before- 
hand. If  you  expect  to  fall  away  before  the  first 
Sunday  of  every  month  you  will  probably  do  it.  If 
sometime  in  the  middle  of  the  month  you  find  that 
you  are  faltering,  come  back  and  devote  yourself 
again  to  God;  but  do  it  feeling  that  you  can  live 
a  Christian  life  by  the  force  of  the  Christ-life  which 
he  gives  to  you.  It  is  a  dreadful  thing  that  so  many 
people  are  trying  to  consecrate  themselves  and  save 
themselves  and  strengthen  themselves  and  work 
their  way  out  through  life.  You  must  let  God  con- 
secrate you  and  strengthen  and  support  you.  Not 
all  the  good  books  in  the  world,  not  the  Bible,  not 
the  church,  not  the  sacraments,  without  Christ  in 
them  and  working  through  them,  can  do  you  much 
good.  Alexander  McKenzie. 

286 


Dvfontb  of  October 

Oak  Leaves 
John  McNeill         The  'T{oad  to  Camp  U^oi'thjield 


The  nineteenth  century  is  apt  to  quietly  sneer  us 
out  of  our  faith  in  the  miraculous.  We  feel  the 
blush  inclined  to  steal  upon  our  cheeks,  and  "with 
bated  breath  and  bated  whispering  humbleness  "  we 
would  allow  judgment  to  go  by  default,  because  we 
do  not  like  to  say  that  we  do  believe  in  the  miracu- 
lous stories  in  the  Bible.  You  remember  how  it 
was  with  Peden,  the  great  Scotch  prophet,  in  the 
killing  times  in  Scotland  when  King  James  was  the 
Herod.  Poor  Peden,  for  the  faith  and  fear  of  Jesus 
Christ,  was  being  persecuted,  ^\^th  a  little  band  of  his 
followers  to  whom  he  had  been  preaching  in  dens 
and  caves  of  the  earth  in  the  south  of  Scotland. 
They  were  alarmed  in  time  and  determined  to  make  a 
struggle  for  existence;  they  made  a  rush  for  safety. 
Their  pursuers,  being  horsemen,  gained  on  them, 
and  when  Peden  and  his  little  band  had  gone  down 
into  the  hollow  of  a  hill,  for  want  of  breath  and  for 
want  of  hope,  he  called  a  halt,  and  then  he  uttered 
a  memorable  prayer.  "  0  God,"  he  said,  "  it  is  the 
day  and  the  hour  of  the  power  of  thine  enemies. 
They  may  not  be  idle,  but  hast  thou  no  other  work 
for  them  than  to  send  them  after  us?  Send  them 
to  pursue  those  to  whom  thou  ^\dlt  give  strength  to 
flee;  but  as  for  us,  our  strength  is  gone.  Twine 
them  round  the  hill,  0  Lord,  and  cast  the  lap  of 
thy  cloak  round  Sandy  and  these  puir  things,  and 
we  shall  tell  to  thy  praise  and  glory  what  thou  didst 
for  us  at  sic  a  time."  As  surely  as  he  prayed  one 
of  those  dangerous,  sudden,  blinding  mists  for  which 
our  Cheviot  hills  are  famous  came  do^^^l  upon  them. 
Their  enemies  with  curses  thundered  past  them 
through  the  mist  and  never  saw  them. 

John  McNeill. 

287 


DAY 

n 

Rejectors  of  the  gospel  will  often  be  heard  say- 
ing, "  Well,  the  Mohammedan  has  his  belief,  and 
the  Hindu  his  belief,  and  the  Parsee  his  belief,  and 
the  Christian  his  belief.  They  all  have  faith,  and 
each  one  who  is  sincere  in  his  faith  will  be  accepted 
of  God."  If  faith  simply  saved  this  might  be  so.  But 
with  the  statement,  "  God  hath  given  to  us  eternal 
life,  and  this  life  is  in  his  Son.  He  that  hath  the 
Son  hath  life;  and  he  that  hath  not  the  Son  hath 
not  life,"  before  us,  its  fallacy  is  readily  seen.  If  a 
man  puts  faith  in  a  real,  living  person  who  has 
power  to  save  him,  and  who  engages  to  save  him, 
he  is  certainly  in  a  different  position  from  the  man 
who  puts  faith  in  that  which  has  not  life  and  which 
is  not  truth. 

There  were  those  in  the  time  of  Noah  who  un- 
doubtedly had  firm  belief,  as  the  rain  commenced 
falling,  that  the  hills  would  be  just  as  safe  a  refuge 
for  them  as  the  ark.  Their  fii'm  belief  made  no 
difference  in  their  fate.  Noah  had  a  firm  belief  in 
God's  word  that  the  ark  would  save  him.  His  belief 
led  him  to  go  into  the  ark,  and  the  ark,  not  his  be- 
lief, saved  him.  Christ  is  the  ark  in  which  we  find 
salvation.  D.  W.  Whittle. 

W^hen  men  ask  us  what  we  believe,  our  answer 
should  be,  "  It  is  not  what  I  believe,  but  it  is  in 
whom  I  believe."  "I  know  whom  I  have  believed." 
I  should  have  a  personal  knowledge  of  the  person 
in  whom  I  believe.  Christians  have  nothing  to  do 
\vith  "  its  "  in  their  belief.  Our  creed  and  our  bless- 
ing are  vitally  connected  ^^ith  Christ;  more  than 
that,  they  are  Christ  himself. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 


DAY 

m 


So  long  as  there  is  a  radical  difference  between 
truth  and  falsehood,  and  so  long  as  truth  sustains 
relations  to  life,  it  will  make  a  difference  whether 
men  believe  true  or  false  doctrine.  Doctrines  are 
the  roots  of  life.  Great  lives  do  not  grow  out  of 
false  beliefs.  Doctrine  is  immensely  important,  but 
not  all-important.  The  root  does  not  exist  for 
itself;  it  is  a  means  to  the  tree  and  the  fruit  as  an 
end.  A  Christian  truth  in  the  heart  brings  forth 
Christian  acts  in  the  life  as  naturally  as  the  root 
pushes  its  stalk  up  into  the  air  and  the  sun.  Cut 
the  stalk,  fell  the  tree,  and  the  root  dies  at  length. 
A  faith  without  works  is  soon  dead.  If  our  doc- 
trines do  not  flower  and  fruit  in  Christian  living, 
they  die.  Many  a  man's  creed  is  a  field  full  of 
stumps.  There  was  life  there  once,  but  because 
the  natural  expression  of  that  life  was  prevented,  it 
perished.  We  have  not  overestimated  the  impor- 
tance of  believing  the  truth,  but  we  have  underesti- 
mated the  importance  of  living  the  truth. 

JosiAH  Strong. 

There  can  be  nothing  acceptable  to  God  which 
does  not  begin  with  faith,  but  he  who  is  contented 
with  becoming  a  believer  is  like  a  man  who  expends 
all  his  strength  in  laying  a  good  foundation  and 
then  ceases  to  build. 

William  Henry  Green. 

What  the  eye  is  to  the  body,  faith  is  to  the  soul. 
You  don't  dig  your  eyes  out  to  see  if  you  have  the 
right  kind,  but  you  are  doing  that  to  your  faith. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

289 


DAY 
IV 


Have  faith  in  God.— Mark  xi.  22. 

What  do  they  think  God  is  who  speak  of  the 
"  good  old  times  "  or  long  for  past  hours  when  they 
better  knew  and  enjoyed  the  blessing  and  fellowship 
of  Christ?  What  kind  of  a  God  do  they  think  we 
have?  Does  he  not  always  keep  the  best  things  for 
the  last?  Is  his  love  stronger  than  his  strength, 
that  we  had  the  best  things  yesterday  and  the  day 
before,  and  are  not  having  yet  better  things  to-day, 
nor  to  have  better  things  to-morrow?  A  true  the- 
ology insists  that  this  month  is  the  best  month  of 
our  lives.  Every  day  is  the  best  day,  and  the  next 
day  will  be  better. 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

Trust  the  providence  of  God,  but  do  not  tempt 
him  by  expecting  too  much.  There  are  times  when 
we  have  no  right  to  dismiss  a  subject  by  saying, 
"God  is  God,  and  he  will  take  care  of  his  own." 
The  question  really,  then,  is  this:  We  have  a  duty 
to  perform,  and  God  expects  us  to  be  of  some  use 
in  the  world.  We  must  pray;  but  pray  for  that 
which  will  be  for  his  glory.  Do  not  ask  God  for 
things  which  it  is  not  best  for  him  to  give.  Be  not 
dissatisfied  when  God  says  no  to  your  request. 
There  is  a  difference  between  the  things  which  we 
are  to  receive  and  those  which  we  are  not  to  re- 
ceive, and  to  discover  this  difference  we  need  to 
pray  especially  for  the  indwelling  Spirit  of  the  liv- 
ing God. 

Russell  H.  Conwell. 

Faith  is  the  golden  key  that  unlocks  the  doors  of 
heaven.  D.  L.  Moody. 

290 


DAY 
V 


Let  him  ask  in  faith,  nothing  wavering :  for  he  that  wavereth 
is  like  a  wave  of  the  sea  driven  with  the  wind  and  tossed.— 
James  i.  6. 

The  church  is  weak  to-day  because  it  has  not 
come  to  appreciate  the  distinction  between  asking 
and  taking,  between  praying  and  claiming.  They 
may  be  parts  of  the  same  act,  but  alas!  in  too  many 
cases  life  passes  by  in  perpetually  pleading  with 
God  to  give  certain  gifts  which  all  the  while  are 
waiting  for  the  suppliant  soul  upon  the  outstretched 
palm  of  God,  and  all  that  the  soul  needs  is  to  take. 
Say  to  yourself,  "  My  Father  has  blessed  me  with  all 
spiritual  blessings  in  Christ,"  and  then  ask  yourself 
whether  you  are  not  living  a  life  that  seems  to  be 
in  the  most  distinct  contradiction  to  the  assertion 
of  that  text.  Now  it  is  either  true  that  God  has 
blessed  you  or  has  not  blessed  you  with  all  spiritual 
blessings  in  Christ.  You  are  bound  to  believe  that 
God  has  put  into  Jesus  Christ  as  your  trustee  his 
own  unsearchable  wealth,  that  he  has  vested  in  the 
hand  of  Jesus  for  every  member  of  his  mystical 
body,  the  church,  his  own  divine  fullness.  Then 
how  is  it  that  your  life  is  so  threadbare?  Do  you 
live  in  your  home  day  by  day  as  a  spiritual  million- 
aire? Do  you  not  rather  live  as  a  pauper?  What 
is  the  result  of  your  influence  upon  your  family  and 
upon  others  who  know  you  best?  Do  you  give  them 
to  feel  that  there  is  something  within  your  reach 
that  they  have  not  yet  touched,  though  they  have 
all  the  riches  of  the  Indies?  If  we  were  once  to 
live  as  though  we  had  something  that  they  have 
not,  we  would  not  have  to  press  men  to  come  to  us; 
they  would  come  without  pressing. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

291 


DAY 
VI 


Human  life  is  character-building;  for  remember 
that  character  means  exactly  what  we  are,  while 
reputation  is  only  what  other  people  think  we  are. 
Every  man  builds  his  own  character.  Fix  one  fact 
in  your  mind,  however,  and  that  is,  the  better  and 
stronger  Christian  you  are,  the  more  dearly  you 
must  pay  for  it.  All  the  best  things  are  costly. 
Jesus  Christ  laid  down  his  life  to  redeem  you  from 
sin  and  death.  "  Free  grace  "  for  you  meant  Cal- 
vary for  Christ.  A  strong  godly  character  is  not 
to  be  had  gratis.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

The  foundation  of  the  spiritual  temple  that  God 
is  erecting,  in  which  the  Holy  Ghost  will  dwell,  is 
faith.  Perseverance  is  the  engineer  that  adds  tier 
upon  tier  and  stair  upon  stair.  Brotherly  love  is 
the  cement  that  binds  all  the  stones  together. 
Memory  comes  and  hangs  the  walls  with  tender 
pictures  of  the  past.  Joy  comes  and  fills  every 
apartment  with  flowers  plucked  from  the  Paradise 
of  God.  Love  comes  and  fills  the  halls  with  music, 
and  at  last  hope  comes  and  throws  over  the  edifice 
a  beautiful  dome,  through  which  aspiration  looks 
up  and  longs  for  heaven.  But  even  then,  when 
man  enters  that  edifice  so  divine,  it  only  is  to  clothe 
him  for  better,  nobler  service  here  upon  earth,  and 
to  prepare  him  for  life  eternal.  M.  D.  HoGE. 

We  must  not  spend  all  our  lives  in  cleaning  our 
windows,  but  in  sunning  ourselves  in  God's  blessed 
light.  That  light  will  soon  show  us  what  still  needs 
to  be  cleansed,  and  will  enable  us  to  cleanse  it  with 
unerring  accuracy.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

292 


DAY 

vn 


The  best  things  in  life  have  to  be  given  freely,  not 
from  a  sense  of  duty.  You  never  can  measure  out 
friendship ;  you  never  can  tell  how  much  a  man  ought 
to  do  for  his  country ;  you  never  can  tell  what  he  should 
do  for  God.  There  is  always  that  overflow,  that  abun- 
dance, which  is  chiefly  valuable  for  us,  and  is  valu- 
able to  God  as  it  comes  as  the  freewill  offering  of 
our  hearts.  You  say  of  a  certain  person  that  he  is 
just,  implying  you  don't  quite  like  him.  You  say  of 
another  person  that  he  is  generous,  meaning  that 
you  do  like  him.  It  is  because  of  that  which  he 
does  beyond  what  he  is  obliged  to  do.  If  there  is 
any  life  where  this  applies  with  the  utmost  force  it 
is  to  the  religious  life.  Your  piety  must  make  the 
cup  overflow.  If  you  do  exactly  your  duty  and 
nothing  else,  your  life  is  no  comfort  to  you  and  lit- 
tle help  to  any  one  else.  You  want  something  of 
joyousness  and  freedom  in  it  and  then  it  tells. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

There  is  a  Christian  life  which,  in  comparison 
with  that  experienced  by  the  majority  of  Chris- 
tians, is  as  summer  to  winter,  or  as  the  mature 
fruitfulness  of  a  golden  autumn  to  the  struggling 
promise  of  a  cold  and  late  spring.  This  life  should 
be  the  normal  life  of  every  Christian.  It  is  God's 
thought  not  for  a  few,  but  for  all  his  children.  The 
youngest  and  weakest  may  lay  claim  to  it  equally 
with  the  strongest  and  oldest.  We  should  step  into 
it  at  the  moment  of  conversion,  without  wandering 
with  blistered  feet  for  forty  years  in  the  desert. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

293 


DAY 

vm 


It  was  only  when  Luther  could  say,  "Martin  Luther 
does  not  live  here;  Jesus  Christ  lives  here,"  that  God 
could  use  Luther.  And  it  was  only  as  Paul  could 
say,  "I  am  crucified  with  Christ:  nevertheless  I 
live;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me,"  that  Paul 
could  be  used  of  God.  We  cannot  truly  say,  "  Whom 
I  serve,"  until  we  have  said,  "  Whose  I  am." 

B.  Fay  Mills. 

A  French  officer  whose  ship  had  been  taken  by 
Nelson  was  brought  on  board  Nelson's  vessel,  and 
he  walked  up  to  the  great  admiral  and  gave  him 
his  hand.  "No,"  said  Nelson;  "your  sword  first, 
please."  That  is  the  gospel.  Many  people  would 
take  Christ's  hand  and  say  he  is  a  noble  character. 
Give  up  your  rebellious  will  first;  admit  your  guilt; 
then  Christ  will  take  your  hand  and  never  let  go. 

John  McNeill. 

"  The  creature  is  dead,  but  he  don't  know  it,"  said 
an  Irishman,  as  he  looked  at  the  moving  legs  of  a 
turtle  whose  head  he  had  cut  off  a  few  hours  be- 
fore. "  The  flesh  is  dead  in  me,"  says  the  modern 
opponent  of  Paul ;  but  the  lively  motions  of  the  flesh 
that  are  often  seen  by  the  onlooker  make  him  doubt 
if  the  flesh  knows  it.  The  remedy  in  all  things  for 
a  believer  is,  to  know  Christ. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 

God  hates  the  self-life  dressed  in  sanctified 
clothes  as  much  as  when  it  is  dressed  in  rags. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

294 


DAY 
IX 

The  sentence  of  death  is  on  everything  that  is  of 
nature.  But  how  many  of  us  cherish  it  and  try  to 
escape  the  sentence  or  to  forget  it!  We  do  not 
believe  fully  that  the  sentence  of  death  is  on  us. 
We  must  die  daily.  Jesus  lived  every  day  in  the 
prospect  of  the  cross,  and  we,  in  the  power  of  his 
victorious  Hfe  being  made  conformable  to  his  death, 
must  rejoice  every  day  in  going  down  with  him  into 
death.  Take  an  oak  some  hundred  years  old.  How 
was  that  oak  born  ?  In  a  grave.  A  grave  was  made 
for  the  acorn  that  the  acorn  might  die.  It  died  and 
disappeared;  it  cast  roots  downward  and  shoots  up- 
ward, and  now  that  tree  has  been  standing  one  hun- 
dred years  in  its  grave.  But  all  the  time  it  has 
stood  in  the  very  grave  where  it  died  it  has  been 
growing  higher  and  stronger  and  more  beautiful. 
All  the  fruit  it  ever  bore  and  all  the  foliage  that 
adorned  it  year  by  year  it  owed  to  that  grave  in 
which  its  roots  are  cast  and  kept.  Even  so  we  owe 
everything  to  the  death  and  grave  of  Jesus.  Oh, 
let  us  live  every  day  rooted  in  the  death  of  Jesus! 

Andrew  Murray. 

If  a  man  is  not  willing  to  go  to  heaven  by  the 
way  of  Calvary  he  cannot  go  at  all.  Many  men 
want  a  religion  in  which  there  is  no  cross,  but  they 
cannot  enter  heaven  that  way.  If  we  are  to  be  dis- 
ciples of  Jesus  Christ  we  must  deny  ourselves,  and 
take  up  our  cross,  and  follow  him.  Do  not  think 
that  you  will  have  no  battles  if  you  follow  the  Naza- 
rene;  many  battles  are  before  you.  Men  do  not 
object  to  a  battle  if  they  are  confident  that  they 
will  have  victory,  and,  thank  God,  every  one  of  us 
may  have  the  victory  if  we  will.       D.  L.  Moody. 

295 


DAY 
X 


How  excellent  is  thy  loving-kindness,  0  God!  therefore  the 
children  of  men  put  their  trust  under  the  shadow  of  thy  wings.— 
Ps.  xxxvi.  7. 

Loving-kindness  is  love  in  action.  "  God  is  love." 
Then  Jesus  Christ  is  loving-kindness,  God  manifest- 
ing his  love  to  us.  Notice,  "  wings  "  is  plural.  The 
wing  of  God's  power  is  to  me  no  protection.  I  am 
afraid  of  power.  Power  let  loose  may  destroy  me. 
In  the  thunderbolt  there  is  power  that  kills.  God's 
omnipotence,  viewed  alone  or  linked  ^vith  his  jus- 
tice, gives  me  no  comfort;  but  linked  with  his  love 
I  find  shelter  beneath  it.  My  danger  is  great  in 
proportion  to  the  power  that  may  be  against  me. 
My  safety  is  great  in  proportion  to  the  power  that 
may  be  for  me.  God's  power  linked  with  his  love  is 
for  me;  and  I  put  trust  under  the  shadow  of  the 
wings  of  his  love  and  power.  A.  C.  Dixon. 

People  used  to  speak  of  God  as  a  tyrant,  and  as 
if  to  be  in  his  hands  was  to  be  next  to  all  that  was 
miserable  and  terrible.  The  hands  that  bled  for 
me  on  the  cross  mean  only  to  bless  me.  0  hands 
of  the  Crucified,  shall  I  dread  to  intrust  my  life  to 
you?  Nay;  the  misery  of  life  will  not  be  to  be  in 
the  hand,  but  to  be  outside  the  hand  of  God.  Never 
be  afraid  of  God,  unless  you  are  sinning  against  him; 
always  believe  that  behind  what  seems  difiicult  and 
mysterious  there  is  a  heart  as  true  and  tender  as 
the  heart  of  the  sweetest,  gentlest  woman  that  ever 
pressed  her  child  to  her  bosom.  Nay;  all  the  love 
in  all  women's  hearts  together,  compared  to  the 
love  of  his  heart,  is  as  a  glow-worm's  torch  com- 
pared to  the  sun  at  noontide.         F.  B.  Meyer. 

296 


DAY 
XI 

Behold,  I  have  graven  thee  upon  the  palms  of  my  hands;  thy 
walls  are  continually  before  me.— Isa.  xlix.  16. 

Faithful  Jews  who  were  about  to  take  a  distant 
journey  employed  an  artist  to  grave  or  paint  a  pic- 
ture of  Jerusalem  upon  the  palms  of  their  hands;  so 
that  when  they  were  far  away  from  the  beloved 
city  of  the  sanctuary  they  had  but  to  open  their 
hand  and  behold  its  memorial  before  them.  In  like 
manner,  our  Lord  has  gone  into  a  "  land  of  far  dis- 
tances." But  he  too  has  carried  inside  the  veil  the 
memorial  of  his  beloved  church.  Those  pierced 
hands  remind  him  of  his  cross  and  passion  and  of 
the  victory  he  has  achieved  over  sin.  And  they  are 
busy  hands;  every  day  and  hour  they  are  recording 
as  with  the  graving  of  a  diamond  in  the  register  of 
God  the  names  of  some  new  souls  born  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven. 

George  C.  Needham. 

Think  what  God  is  trying  all  the  while  to  do  for 
us,  and  see  if  it  is  not  beyond  our  greatest  thought. 
Christ  is  more  than  teacher.  He  is  our  divine  Lord 
and  Saviour,  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost.  Oh,  if 
the  world  were  \^illing  to  take  what  he  is  so  ready 
to  bestow!  If  we  desired  more  we  should  receive 
more.  It  is  because  our  prayers  are  too  narrow, 
because  we  only  want  to  fill  the  cup  up  within  an 
inch  of  the  top,  that  we  are  poor;  when  w^e  are  will- 
ing that  the  cup  shall  run  over  there  comes  a 
springing  out  from  heaven,  a  pouring  down  from 
above  of  that  which  fills  the  cup  from  the  great 
wealth  and  mercy  of  our  God. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

297 


DAY 

xn 


If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask 
what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you.— John  xv,  7. 

God  is  the  source  of  the  spiritual  electric  energy, 
and  when  we  insulate  ourselves  from  the  world  by- 
prayer  and  communion  with  Christ  it  is  precisely  as 
it  is  with  filling  a  body  with  electric  energy :  the 
spiritual  power  of  God  fills  us.  I  have  found  in  my 
own  life  that  there  is  a  very  close  proportion  be- 
tween the  time  I  spend  in  communion  with  God  and 
the  amount  of  power  that  I  have  in  dealing  with 
men. 

R.  A.  TORREY. 

Every  prayer  should  be  actuated  by  a  love  for 
God  and  a  desire  to  be  used  in  his  service.  Every 
prayer  should  be  judged  by  this  standard:  Will  it  be 
of  use  to  the  Lord  God?  Is  it  for  his  glory?  "  God, 
give  me  health  to-day."  Why?  "Oh,  because  I 
shall  feel  better."  Ah!  that  is  not  prayer;  that  is 
only  presumption.  "  Lord,  give  me  an  ability  that 
I  have  not  now."  What  for?  "  Because  I  shall  hold 
a  higher  place  in  the  world's  estimation."  That  is 
presumption.  "  Lord,  help  me  to  get  such  an  edu- 
cation as  shall  give  me  influence  with  men,  that  I 
may  be  able  to  earn  more  money."  It  is  tempting 
God.  "  Lord,  keep  my  family  alive."  "  Lord-  pre- 
serve the  life  of  my  sick  child,  because  I  shall  need 
that  child's  love  by  and  by  in  order  to  be  happy 
myself."  It  is  tempting  God.  But  the  prayer  that 
says,  "  Lord,  give  me  health  that  I  may  glorify  thee; 
give  me  wisdom  that  I  may  use  it  for  thee;  preserve 
the  life  of  my  child  that  I  may  bring  her  up  for  thee" 
is  the  prayer  of  faith. 

Russell  H.  Conwell. 

298 


DAY 

xm 


The  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the  true  woishipers  shall 
worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth:  for  the  Father  seeketh 
such  to  worship  him.— John  iv.  23. 

No  idea  of  prayer  reaches  a  higher  point  than 
worship,  which  is  the  form  which  fills  the  Apoca- 
lypse. The  soul  is  lost  in  thought  of  God.  What 
new  appreciation  of  adorable  qualities!  In  Psalm 
xxix.,  that  psalm  of  nature  where  the  creation  is 
seen  as  a  temple,  all  nature  is  God's  grand  cathedral ; 
the  waters  are  the  great  organ  with  its  deep  dia- 
pason, and  the  thunders  peal  forth  like  the  colossal 
pipes  of  the  pedals;  cyclones  and  whirlwinds  are  the 
choir  with  majestic  voices;  the  lightnings  are  the 
electric  lamps;  giant  oaks  and  cedars  are  the  bow- 
ing worshipers;  and  the  psalmist  says,  "In  his  tem- 
ple doth  everything  shout,  Glory!" 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

In  prayer  there  is  worship,  when  a  man  just  bows 
do^\m  to  adore  the  great  God.  We  do  not  take 
enough  time  to  worship.  I  hope  to  spend  eternity  in 
worshiping  God. 

There  is  not  only  the  worship  of  a  king,  but 
fellowship  as  a  child  with  God.  Christians  think 
prayer  is  only  asking  and  thanksgiving.  If  Christ 
is  to  make  me  what  I  am  to  be  I  must  tarry  in 
fellowship  with  God.  I  may  put  a  poker  in  the  fire 
twenty  times  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  leave  it 
there  two  or  three  minutes  each  time,  and  it  never 
will  be  thoroughly  heated.  If  you  are  to  get  the 
fire  of  God's  holiness  and  love  and  power  burning  in 
your  heart  you  must  take  more  time  in  his  fellow- 
ship. Andrew  Murray. 


DAY 
XIV 


Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.— 
Matt,  xxviii.  20. 

Man  when  he  promises  for  the  future  needs  to 
say,  "I  will  do;"  but  God  can  say  nothing  stronger 
than  "  I  do "  or  "  I  am."  Thus  the  promise  of 
promises  of  Jesus  to  his  disciples  as  their  ever- 
present,  all-sustaining  Lord  is,  ''  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway;"  not  "Lo,  I  will  be,"  but  "Lo,  I  am."  So 
God's  covenant  promise  to  Israel  to  be  their  loving, 
guarding,  and  guiding  God  for  all  time  to  come  is 
in  the  words,  "  I  am  Jehovah  thy  God,  which  brought 
thee  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of 
bondage."  Henry  Clay  Trumbull. 

The  Lord  said  to  Moses,  "  Say  unto  them,  '  I  AM 
hath  sent  me.' "  Some  one  has  said  that  God  gave 
him  a  blank  check  and  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  fill 
it  out  from  that  time  on.  When  he  wanted  to  bring 
water  out  of  the  rock  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  fill  out 
the  check;  it  was  the  same  when  he  wanted  bread; 
he  had  a  rich  banker.  God  had  taken  him  into 
partnership  with  himself.  D.  L.  Moody. 

Herein  it  was  that  Israel  sinned :  they  never  could 
take  in  the  Godhead,  I  AM.  They  never  could 
realize  that  they  were  dealing  with  One  to  whom 
past,  present,  and  future  are  absolutely  one.  They 
deigned  to  accept  what  God  had  accomplished,  but 
dared  to  doubt  what  God  had  promised. 

The  moment  a  man  doubts  the  unknown  future 
he  has  boldly  said  to  God,  "Thou  liest,"  and  it  is 
the  one  sin  there  is  no  salvation  for.  Every  sin  can 
be  forgiven  except  blasphemy  against  the  Holy 
Ghost.  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe, 

300 


DAY 
XV 


And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee  the  only 
true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  thou  hast  sent.— John  xvii.  3. 

Ignorance  is  the  chief  sin  of  our  time.  You  say 
unbelief  is.  I  think  not.  You  say  the  great  need 
is  faith.  But  when  we  have  intelligence  we  shall 
have  faith.  We  need  knowledge  of  God.  I  do  think 
that  people  need  most  in  this  world  to-day  belief  in 
God.  It  is  a  very  rare  man  that  truly  and  deeply 
believes  in  God.  If  you  believe  in  God  you  see  him 
in  everything,  in  the  birds  and  flowers  and  bright- 
ness and  beauty  as  well  as  when  the  storms  gather 
and  sorrow  sweeps  over  you.  If  a  man  believes  there 
is  a  God  his  belief  controls  him  all  through  his 
being.  Jesus  said,  "  Let  your  light  so  shine  before 
men  that  they  will  glorify  God."  In  order  to  make 
other  men  think  of  God  we  must  believe  in  him  and 
must  have  such  a  strong  obedience  coming  out  of 
our  belief  that  men  will  take  knowledge  of  us  that 
we  believe  in  God  and  know  him. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

We  don't  want  the  faith  that  comes  by  seeing, 
but  the  seeing  that  comes  by  faith. 

John  McNeill. 

When  Christ  said  to  his  disciples,  "  Have  faith  in 
God,"  he  did  not  mean,  "  Accept  this  moment  all  the 
doctrines  which  I  have  been  propounding  to  you," 
though  he  well  knew  that  that  would  follow  from  a 
surrender  to  him.  What  he  meant  was  that  they, 
personally,  should  surrender  their  lives  in  the  abso- 
lute confidence  of  an  unwavering  trust  to  God. 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

301 


DAY 

XVI 


God  has  given  us  powers,  and  he  means  that  we 
shall  study  to  know  what  they  are.  Half  the  life- 
blunders  come  from  not  knowing  one's  self.  If  we 
overrate  our  abilities  we  attempt  more  than  we  can 
accomplish;  if  we  underrate  our  abilities  we  might 
accomplish  more  than  we  attempt.  In  both  cases 
life  loses  just  so  much  from  its  sum  of  power.  Not 
a  few  come  to  know  themselves  only  through  fail- 
ures and  disappointments.  Strangers  to  their  own 
defects,— perhaps  also  to  their  own  powers,— they 
see  h,ow  they  might  have  succeeded  only  when  suc- 
cess is  finally  forfeited.  Their  eyes  open  too  late. 
A  Southern  orator  tells  of  a  little  negro  who  very 
much  wished  to  have  a  kitten  from  a  new-born 
litter,  and  whose  mistress  promised  that  as  soon  as 
they  were  old  enough  he  should  take  one.  Too  im- 
patient to  wait,  he  slyly  carried  one  off  to  his  hut. 
Its  eyes  were  not  yet  open,  and  in  disgust  he  drowned 
it.  But  subsequently,  finding  the  kitten  lying  in 
the  pail  dead,  but  with  open  eyes,  he  exclaimed, 
"Humph!  when  you's  alive  you's  blind;  now  you's 
dead  you  see ! "  Pity,  indeed,  if  our  eyes  open  only 
when  it  is  too  late  to  make  life  of  use! 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

Is  your  life  what  you  want  it  to  be?  Is  it  satis- 
factory? I  hear  people  sometimes  say  in  prayer- 
meeting,  "  I  want  a  few  crumbs  from  the  Master's 
table."  Well,  you  may  have  them  if  you  want  to; 
crumbs  are  good  for  cats  and  dogs;  but  I  am  going 
for  the  whole  loaf.  The  Lord  doesn't  want  his  people 
to  live  on  crumbs;  he  is  longing  to  give  them  a 
whole  loaf. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

302 


DAY 

xvn 

When  men  are  puzzled  about  the  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity  they  would  do  well  to  consider  their  own 
nature,  and  discover  in  the  spirit,  soul,  and  body  the 
trinity  in  unity  of  the  one  personality  of  the  indi- 
vidual. Man  is  like  the  Jewish  temple:  the  most 
holy  place  represented  the  spirit;  the  holy  place, 
where  the  priests  did  their  work,  the  soul;  and  the 
outer  courts  the  body.  In  the  unregenerate  man 
the  holy  of  holies  of  the  spirit,  which  was  meant  to 
hold  converse  with  God,  is  left  dark  and  untenanted ; 
or  with  some  the  holy  of  holies,  v/hich  was  meant 
for  God,  may  be  inhabited  by  the  spirit  of  evil.  I 
am  inclined  to  think  that  in  most  cases  it  is  simply 
untenanted,  so  that  the  natural  man  is  a  man  the 
holy  of  holies  of  whose  spirit  is  empty;  therefore 
his  nature  is  dominated  entirely  by  the  soul  of  his 
natural  life.  We  can  easily  understand,  then,  why 
the  body  is  not  kept  right,  because  nothing  can 
dominate  the  body  but  spirit.  In  regeneration  the 
Spirit  of  God  becomes  the  Shechinah  of  the  most 
holy  place,  so  that  what  before  had  been  dark  now 
becomes  illuminated.  Even  in  a  regenerate  man 
there  is  often  failure  because  the  man,  whose 
personality  resides  always  in  the  soul,  the  holy 
place,  has  the  choice  of  living  according  to  the 
spirit  in  the  holy-of-holies  place,  or  according  to 
the  flesh  in  the  outer  court,  and  chooses  the  latter 
in  preference  to  the  former  and  so  becomes  a  carnal 
Christian.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

What  this  world  wants  is  this  doctrine  thundered 
out,  regeneration  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  No 
man  is  really  born  of  God  until  he  is  brought  into 
harmony  wdth  God's  plan,  and  then  God  can  work  in 
him  and  through  him.  D.  L.  Moody. 

303 


DAY 

xvin 

If  you  would  go  to  heathen  lands  to  work  for 
Christ  first  satisfy  yourself  fully  as  to  the  inspiration 
of  the  Scriptures.  Don't  go  to  war  with  a  quiver- 
ful of  arrows  the  shafts  of  which  are  partly  hickory 
and  partly  mullen  stocks.  If  a  missionary  believes 
the  Scriptures  are  inspired  only  in  patches  the 
heathen  will  trip  up  his  heels  as  easily  as  if  he  were 
standing  on  ice.  When  you  point  to  them  the  stupid 
cosmogony  of  their  sacred  books,  and  from  thence 
argue  their  unreliability  as  religious  guides,  they 
will  retort,  "  But  you  say  there  are  scientific  errors 
in  your  Bible,  and  that  the  Word  of  your  God  is 
contained  in  your  Scriptures  along  with  some  rub- 
bish. Now  you  know  how  to  sympathize  with  us. 
The  divine  truths  of  our  religion  are  contained  in 
our  "  shasters."  Unfortunately,  our  writers  did  not 
know  everything,  as  you  say  yours  did  not,  and 
some  rubbish  has  crept  into  ours  too."  If  you  are 
lame  and  halting  then  better  stay  at  home.  We 
want  strong  and  able-bodied  men  who  know  what 
they  believe  and  why  they  believe  it  and  are  ready 
to  assert  it  with  vigor.  William  Ashmore. 


What  are  soldiers  good  for  if  they  don't  know 
how  to  use  their  weapons?  What  is  a  young  man 
starting  out  in  the  Christian  work  good  for  if  he 
does  not  know  how  to  use  his  Bible?  A  man  isn't 
worth  much  in  battle  if  he  has  any  doubt  about  his 
weapon,  and  I  have  never  found  a  man  who  has  his 
doubts  about  the  Bible  who  has  amounted  to  much 
in  Christian  work.  I  have  seen  work  after  work 
wrecked  because  men  lost  confidence  in  the  truth 
of  this  old  Book.  D.  L.  Moody. 

304 


DAY 

XIX 

I  know  of  nothing  which  would  be  more  ridiculous, 
if  it  were  not  so  lamentable  and  fraught  with  evil, 
than  to  see  a  man  \^ise  in  his  own  conceit  go  on  the 
cool  assumption  that  the  church,  the  Bible,  Christen- 
dom, and  the  great  God  himself  have  no  rights  ex- 
cept such  as  first  vindicate  themselves  to  his  lordly 
reason.  Suppose  the  village  poetaster  should  so 
treat  "Paradise  Lost,"  or  the  village  architect 
should  express  grave  doubts  as  to  the  excellence  of 
the  dome  of  St.  Peter's.  "  Paradise  Lost "  and  the 
dome  of  St.  Peter's  would  not  feel  it  much,  but  it 
would  fix  the  grade  of  the  architect  and  the  poet. 

Cyrus  D.  Foss. 

I  believe  that  all  the  philosophy  and  literary  criti- 
cism and  the  study  of  history,  when  rightly  under- 
taken, will  constitute  an  overwhelming  argument  in 
vindication  of  our  belief  in  the  Bible.  I  look  for  the 
coming  of  a  good  time  when  men  who  now  disparage 
and  despise  and  s^t  at  naught  this  Book  mil  treat  it 
as  the  inspired  Word  of  God. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 

I  would  that  every  student  of  the  Bible  would 
take  the  motto  which  Bengel  took  for  his  guidance 
in  study:  "Apply  thyself  wholly  to  the  Scriptures, 
and  apply  the  Scriptures  wholly  to  thyself."  Learned 
critics  are  applying  themselves  wholly  to  the  Scrip- 
tures \vith  microscopic  intensity  of  search  and  re- 
search, but  they  neglect  the  other  half.  We  hear 
of  some  people  who  are  famous  at  taking  a  sword 
and  cutting  up  the  Scripture,  but  we  would  like  to 
see  the  Scripture,  which  is  itself  a  sword,  go  through 
these  men  and  cut  some  of  them^  up. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

305 


DAY 
XX 

But  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of 
God:  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him:  neither  can  he  know 
them,  because  they  are  spiritually  discerned.— 1  Cor.  ii.  14. 

No  one  can  so  well  explain  the  meaning  of  words 
as  he  who  wrote  them.  Tennyson  could  best  ex- 
plain some  of  his  deeper  references  in  "  In  Memo- 
riam."  If,  then,  you  wish  to  read  the  Bible  as  you 
should,  make  much  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  inspired 
it  through  holy  men.  As  you  open  the  book  lift  up 
your  heart  and  say,  "Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I 
may  behold  wondrous  things  out  of  thy  law.  Speak, 
Lord;  for  thy  servant  heareth."       F.  B.  Meyer. 

The  natural  man  discerneth  not  the  things  of  the 
Spirit.  This  Bible  is  burglar-proof  against  un- 
sanctified  learning  that  seeks  to  penetrate  into  its 
mysteries.  The  violent  have  attempted  to  take  it 
by  force,  but  the  Holy  Spirit  alone  has  the  key  to 
this  treasure-house,  and  he  only  knows  the  combi- 
nation of  prayer  and  faith  by  which  it  can  be 
unlocked  and  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
righteousness  therein  stored  be  found  out  and  appro- 
priated. God  forbid  that  I  should  despise  any  kind 
of  learning.  On  the  contrary,  I  put  my  strong  em- 
phasis on  the  importance  of  it.  Modifying  Augus- 
tine's phrase,  let  us  remember  that  the  sufficiency 
of  learning  is  to  discover  that  learning  is  insuffi- 
cient. Your  responsibility  is  that  you  make  the 
Spirit  of  God  your  private  tutor,  and  then  you  can- 
not be  led  very  far  astray.  It  is  one  thing  not  to 
know,  it  is  another  thing  through  the  pride  of  un- 
sanctified  learning  to  be  led  to  forget,  that  the 
Word  of  God  is  not  to  be  comprehended  by  secular 
learning  but  by  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

306 


DAY 
XXI 

Prophecy  came  not  in  old  time  by  the  will  of  man:  but  holy 
men  of  God  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost. — 
2  Pet.  1.  21. 

The  consummate  prophecy  of  Scripture  is  the 
Messianic.  These  prophecies  were  sufficiently  re- 
mote in  time  to  have  made  it  impossible  for  the  pro- 
phets to  have  influenced  the  results.  Between  the 
two  Testaments  was  a  space  of  four  hundred  years. 
There  was  absolutely  no  inspired  prediction  between 
Malachi  and  Matthew.  As  to  minuteness  of  de- 
tail, Canon  Liddon  found  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  distinct  predictions  concerning  the  Messiah. 
In  order  to  estimate  the  chance  of  all  these  partic- 
ulars meeting  in  one  person,  you  must  raise  i  to 
the  three  hundred  and  thirty-second  power,  which 
is  8  5,ooo,ooo;oiro,  i.e.,  there  is  but  one  chance  in 
85,000,000,000!  The  promise  that  the  seed  of  the 
woman  shall  bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent  is  the 
germ  of  all  Messianic  prophecy.  If  there  was  to 
be  but  a  single  fruit  to  appear  on  a  tree  of  over 
three  hundred  branches,  and  you  must  determine 
the  particular  twig  on  which  that  fruit  should  ap- 
pear, every  new  ramification  of  the  branches  would 
make  it  more  difficult  to  determine  the  exact  twig. 
Of  Adam's  sons  one  must  be  the  progenitor  of  the 
Messiah,  and  Seth  is  chosen.  Noah  has  three  sons; 
Japheth  is  chosen.  Abraham  has  two  sons;  Isaac 
is  chosen.  Isaac  has  two  sons;  Jacob  is  chosen. 
Jacob  has  twelve  sons,  and  one  of  the  twelve  must 
be  Christ's  ancestor— Judah.  So  the  lineage  rami- 
fies indefinitely  until  we  reach  the  very  household  in 
which  Jesus  Christ  was  born. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

307 


DAY 

xxn 


In  looking  at  the  stars  through  a  great  telescope, 
it  is  necessary  first  to  put  out  every  light  until  you 
are  left  in  total  darkness.  Every  light  sets  the  air 
in  motion,  and  disturbs  the  focus,  and  blurs  the 
vision  of  the  stars.  How  often  our  vision  of  God  is 
blurred  and  dimmed  by  the  flames  of  self-conscious- 
ness and  sordidness  that  float  around  us!  How 
many  times  we  have  to  put  out  the  light  of  self- 
seeking,  earthly  ambition  and  false  pride  of  position 
in  order  to  look  upward,  and  in  the  clear  still  air 
know  whither  God's  lights  are  leading  us  and  what 
God  will  have  us  to  do! 

W.  H.  P.  Faunce. 

It  is  difficult  to  convince  men  of  anything  which 
they  do  not  wish  to  believe.  They  demand  evidence, 
and  what  would  afford  proof  to  an  unbiased  mind  is 
often  quite  insufficient  to  convince  men  against 
their  will,  while  that  which  harmonizes  with  pre- 
conceived opinion  is  often  accepted  with  little  or  no 
evidence.  The  narrower  men  are,  the  more  difficult 
is  it  to  convince  them  of  anything  which  runs 
counter  to  their  prejudices. 

JosiAH  Strong. 

It  is  supposed  by  some,  altogether  falsely,  that 
faith  is  opposed  to  reason  and  that  Christ  does  not 
claim  intellect.  His  very  name  is  the  Word  and  the 
wisdom  of  God,  and  he  demands  the  cultivation  of 
all  our  faculties,  and  he  bids  us  prepare  ourselves 
in  order  that  we  may  do  his  work. 

A.  C.  A.  Hall. 


308 


DAY 

xxin 

My  friends,  the  outcome  is  bright.  Men  will 
keep  on  until  they  shall  have  circumnavigated  the 
globe  of  thought,— these  earnest  men,  these  philo- 
sophical adventurers,  these  scientific  discoverers,— 
and  when  they  come  back,  as  they  surely  will,  to  the 
old  land  from  which  they  have  set  out,  they  will  say 
with  an  earnestness  they  never  knew  before,  "  We 
believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of 
heaven  and  earth."  And  when  they  get  so  far 
they  will  go  on  and  say,  ''  And  in  Jesus  Christ,  his 
only  Son."  The  day  of  reconciliation  between 
science  and  religion  is  not  afar  off.  High  authori- 
ties in  philosophy  tell  us  that  agnosticism  is  on  the 
wane.  We  look  for  the  coming  of  the  day  which 
shall  end  the  long  estrangement,  when  science  shall 
confess,  "  W^e  know  in  part,  but  then  we  know,"  and 
religion  will  reply,  "  We  know,  but  then  we  know 
only  in  part."  Francis  L.  Patton. 

We  sometimes  look  upon  this  world  and  say,  "  It 
is  no  use;  the  race  is  corrupt  and  there  is  no 
promise."  Stop !  the  promise  is  not  in  the  men,  but 
in  the  Word  of  God  and  the  Spirit  of  God.  Be 
faithful,  consecrated,  hopeful.  Some  day  the  world 
will  be  filled  with  the  righteousness  and  peace  of 
God.  George  C.  Lorimer. 

Thank  God,  the  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  is 
growing  and  is  going  to  come  into  collision  with  the 
image,  which  will  become  like  the  chaif  of  a  thresh- 
ing-floor. My  friends,  I  am  no  pessimist,  and  I  thank 
God  for  the  outlook.  I  believe  the  time  is  coming 
when  the  voice  of  men  will  only  give  out  the  echo 
of  God's  voice,  when  Jesus  Christ  shall  come  to  sway 
his  scepter  over  the  whole  earth.     D.  L.  Moody. 

309 


DAY 
XXIV 


For  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink;  but  righteous- 
ness, and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.— Rom.  xiv.  17. 

The  kingdom  of  God  is  righteousness;  that  repre- 
sents the  work  of  the  Father.  The  foundations  of 
his  throne  are  justice  and  judgment  and  peace; 
that  is  the  work  of  the  Son;  he  is  our  peace,  our 
Shiloh,  our  rest.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  peace;  not 
only  the  peace  of  pardon  for  the  past,  but  of  perfect 
assurance  as  to  the  future.  Not  only  the  work  of 
atonement  is  finished,  but  the  work  of  sanctification 
also  is  finished  in  Christ.  The  new  man  has  been 
completed,  and  I  need  only  live  out  my  life  in  him; 
and  then,  if  a  kingdom  is  established  in  righteous- 
ness, there  can  be  perfect  rest.  Then  if  there  be 
peace  without  and  within  there  can  be  also  joy,  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Andrew  Murray. 

According  to  God's  idea,  the  first  element  of  re- 
ligion is  righteousness,  and  there  are  two  kinds  of 
righteousness  spoken  of  in  the  Bible:  the  imputed 
righteousness  and  the  imparted  righteousness.  The 
imputed  righteousness  is  that  which  was  lived  out 
by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  a  life  of  perfect  devotion 
to  God  and  in  a  death  that  was  substitutionary,  and 
that  righteousness  is  imputed  to  every  one  who  puts 
his  trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  imparted 
righteousness  is  that  which  is  imparted  to  the  soul 
after  it  has  believed  in  Jesus  Christ,  whereby  it 
grows  in  fitness  for  the  life  here  and  for  the  inher- 
itance of  the  saints  in  glory. 

W.  W.  Moore. 

310 


DAY 
XXV 


Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace,  whose  mind  is  stayed  on 
thee:  because  he  trusteth  in  thee.— Isa.  xxvi.  3. 

There  is  the  secret  of  peace;  that  was  the  source 
of  Daniel's  peace  in  the  den  of  iions. 

I  can  imagine  Daniel  walking  through  the  streets 
of  Babylon  on  his  way  to  be  cast  to  the  lions,  ac- 
cording to  the  king's  decree.  He  was  the  greatest 
character  that  ever  walked  the  streets  of  Babylon. 
He  moved  like  a  giant,  like  a  conqueror;  they  cast 
him  to  the  lions.  There  was  no  music  in  the  palace 
that  night.  The  king  was  in  great  distress ;  he  could 
not  sleep;  and  early  the  next  morning  you  could 
see  an  unusual  sight— the  king  abroad  in  his  char- 
iot; and  you  could  hear  the  chariot  go  rattling  over 
the  pavements  of  the  streets.  What  does  it  mean? 
I  see  that  royal  chariot  sweeping  up  to  the  lions' 
den,  and  the  king  goes  to  the  mouth  of  the  den  and 
cries  to  Daniel,  "  Is  thy  God,  whom  thou  servest 
continually,  able  to  deliver  thee  from  the  mouths  of 
the  lions?"  And  a  voice  comes  up  out  of  that 
den:  "My  God  has  sent  his  angels  and  shut  the 
mouths  of  the  lions."  The  calmest  man  in  all  Baby- 
lon that  night,  in  my  opinion,  was  Daniel.  He 
prayed  with  his  face  toward  Jerusalem,  and  after 
prayer  took  a  lion  for  a  pillow  and  lay  down  to 
sleep  with  a  clear  conscience.  The  king  took  him 
with  him  back  to  the  palace,  and  then  sent  out  a 
decree  that  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  should  be 
cast  into  the  lions'  den,  and  they  were  all  devoured 
before  ever  they  came  to  the  bottom  of  the  den. 
"There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked," 
but  the  man  who  trusts  in  the  Lord  need  never  be 
troubled.  D.  L.  Moody. 

311 


DAY 
XXVI 


Christ  came  not  alone  to  preach  the  gospel,  but 
to  be  the  gospel.  When  the  cross  was  taken  down 
scarcely  any  one  knew  that  Jesus  had  ever  been  in 
the  world,  and  his  own  disciples  did  not  know  clearly 
and  fully  why  he  had  come.  One  thing  was  done  to 
make  the  redemption  of  the  world  by  Jesus  Christ 
known  to  the  world,  and  that  was  done  in  one  in- 
stance by  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  Jesus  wanted  some- 
thing done,  but  he  never  hired  any  one  and  he  never 
will.  He  said  to  Peter,  "Simon,  do  you  love  me 
enough  to  do  anything  just  because  you  love  me?" 
Simon  answered,  "Lord,  I  do."  Then  Jesus  said, 
"Simon,  I  have  died  for  the  world,  and  the  world 
does  not  know  it.  Do  you  see  those  sheep?  They 
are  my  sheep;  I  have  been  feeding  them;  and  now  I 
am  going  out  of  the  world.  Simon,  will  you  take 
care  of  these  sheep?"  "Yes,  Lord."  "I  shall  de- 
pend upon  you,  Simon;  those  sheep  will  starve  to 
death  if  you  do  not  feed  them."  "  But,  Lord,  what 
is  John  going  to  do?"  "No  matter  about  John. 
Simon,  will  you  feed  my  sheep?"  Simon  said, 
"  Lord,  I  will."  Then  Jesus  went  to  heaven  with  no 
more  anxiety;  and  if,  when  he  reached  heaven,  some 
archangel  had  said,  "  Son  of  God,  thou  didst  die  for 
the  world;  does  the  world  know  it?"  "Scarcely 
any  one."  "What  arrangement  have  you  made?" 
"  Simon  said  he  would  go  and  tell  the  world  that  I 
have  died."  "And  you  trusted  Simon?"  "Yes." 
"But,  Lord,  you  might  as  Avell  never  have  left 
heaven  if  Simon  fails  you."  "  I  know  it.  I  depend 
upon  him."  Jesus  knew  that  love  never  faileth,  and 
so  he  went  calmly  to  his  eternal  home.  Then  the 
Holy  Spirit  came,  and  men  witnessed  and  preached. 
Alexander  McKenzie. 

312 


DAY 

xxvn 


It  seems  to  me  as  if  there  has  been  but  one  in- 
stance of  faith.  Jesus  Christ  went  to  heaven,  not 
calling  legions  of  angels,  but  trusting  a  handful  of 
fishermen  to  tell  men  of  his  death  on  the  cross  for 
them.  No  men  were  truer  than  they;  before  those 
men  had  left  the  world  there  was  scarcely  a  tribe 
upon  the  earth  that  had  not  heard  of  the  redeeming 
love  of  the  world's  Saviour.  It  needed  but  to  carry 
it  on  a  little  longer,  and  long,  long  ago  the  whole 
world  would  have  heard  the  story,  and  foreign  mis- 
sions would  never  have  been  known. 

But  there  came  a  time  when  the  men  disappointed 
this  trust.  The  shepherds  began  to  feed  the  sheep 
a  little  less,  and  presently  the  work  of  shepherds 
was  to  make  the  sheep  feed  them.  An  old  writer 
has  said  that  in  the  early  days  of  the  church  they 
had  wooden  chalices  and  golden  bishops,  but  now 
the  church  has  golden  chalices  and  wooden  bishops. 
One  of  the  popes  said,  "  The  time  has  gone  by  when 
the  church  had  to  say, '  Silver  and  gold  have  I  none.' " 
"Yes,"  was  the  answer;  "and  the  time  has  gone  by 
also  when  the  church  can  say,  '  In  the  name  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  rise  up  and  walk.' " 

Hear  the  appeal  of  Jesus  Christ  to  you  and  to  me: 
"  Do  you  love  me ?  "  "  What  is  the  salary?  "  "  I 
do  not  give  any  salary."  A  m.an  may  well  count  the 
cost,  for  you  know  what  is  coming  next:  "Do  you 
love  me  more  than  money,  more  than  ease,  more 
than  life?"  And  when  one  replies,  "Lord,  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee,"  there  is  always  one  an- 
swer: "I  died  for  that  man,  and  he  does  not  know 
it;  go  and  tell  him."  There  are  thousands  of  men 
and  women  who  are  without  God  and  without  a  Sa- 
viour; go  tell  them.  Alexander  McKenzie. 

313 


DAY 

xxvm 


Draw  nigh  to  God,  and  he  will  draw  nigh  to  you.— James  iv.  8. 

There  is  not  a  moment,  not  a  talent,  not  a  possi- 
bility of  our  being  that  should  not  be  consecrated 
entirely  to  God  and  that  should  not  be  surrendered  in 
tender,  grateful,  humble  submission  to  his  authority. 
We  should  feel  that  we  could  not  afford  to  go  out 
into  the  world  and  engage  in  its  pleasures,  its  pur- 
suits, and  its  ambitions,  not  because  we  have  not 
the  money,  but  because  we  cannot  afford  the  peril, 
the  temptation,  the  risk  to  the  soul's  peace  and 
progress.  Our  ambition,  our  pleasure,  should  be  to 
get  nearer  to  God. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

God  is  the  critic  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of 
the  heart,  and  I  hardly  can  conceive  of  a  better  way 
of  achieving  saintliness  than  every  night  to  sit  still 
and  let  God  say  to  you  whatever  he  has  to  say.  By 
the  touch  of  his  Spirit  he  seeks  to  mold  men,  but 
you  must  give  the  Spirit  of  God  time.  More  bless- 
ing has  been  obtained  among  the  hills  and  woods 
about  Keswick  than  in  the  tent,  though  it  has  been 
the  scene  of  the  meeting  of  God  and  the  soul  in 
thousands  of  cases. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

Conversion  and  consecration  stand  in  marked  con- 
trast. In  conversion  the  believer  receives  the  tes- 
timony of  God  and  sets  his  seal  to  it  that  it  is  true. 
In  consecration  God  receives  the  gift  we  place  upon 
the  altar  and  sets  his  seal  upon  the  believer  that  he 
is  true. 

J.  Wilbur  Chapman. 

314 


^^^iJ^±^  DAY 

S^<^  XXIX 

And  we  know  that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them 
that  love  God,  to  them  who  are  the  called  according  to  his  pur- 
pose.—Rom.  viii.  28. 

How  wonderfully  blessed  to  have  everything  that 
happens  to  me  a  pure  blessing!  A  man  may  curse 
at  me,  an  accident  may  injure  me  terribly,  I  may  be 
brought  to  poverty;  but  if  I  once  learn  that  there  is 
the  blessing  of  God  in  everything,  what  a  life  of 
blessing  and  love  and  joy  unspeakable  I  shall  have! 

God  sent  the  storm  when  Jonah  v\^ent  aboard  the 
ship ;  God  appointed  a  great  fish  to  swallow  him,  and 
afterward  to  cast  him  out;  God  caused  the  hot  wind 
to  blow  when  the  sun  was  sending  down  its  scorch- 
ing rays  upon  Jonah;  God  made  the  gourd  to  grow, 
God  sent  the  worm  to  kill  the  gourd,  and  God  sent 
the  east  wind  to  distress  Jonah.  If  I  am  a  child  of 
God  every  circumstance  of  my  life,  every  comfort 
and  every  trial,  comes  from  God  in  Christ.  So  if  I 
give  up  my  whole  life  to  Jesus  and  say,  "Lord,  I 
want  grace  to  believe  that  thou  art  overseer,"  noth- 
ing really  harmful  can  touch  a  hair  of  my  head. 

The  secret  of  the  Christ-life  is  this:  such  a  con- 
sciousness of  God's  presence  that,  whether  Judas 
came  to  betray  him  or  Caiaphas  condemned  him 
unjustly  or  Pilate  gave  him  up  to  be  crucified,  the 
presence  of  the  Father  was  upon  him  and  within 
him  and  around  him,  and  man  could  not  touch  his 
spirit.  That  is  what  God  wants  to  be  to  us.  God 
first  says  to  Moses,  *'  I  ^vill  bring  you  out,"  and  then, 
"I  will  bring  you  in."  Ah,  God  be  praised!  he  has 
brought  many  of  us  out  of  the  unconverted  state; 
but  has  he  brought  us  into  the  life  of  abiding  com- 
munion?    I  fear  not. 

Andrew  Murray. 

315 


DAY 
XXX 


Ye  are  bought  with  a  price;  be  not  ye  the  servants  of  men.— 
1  Cor.  vii.  23. 

Jesus  Christ  has  bought  us  with  his  blood,  but 
alas!  he  has  not  had  his  money's  worth.  He  paid 
for  all,  and  he  has  had  but  a  fragment  of  our  energy, 
time,  and  earnings.  Of  old  the  mighty  men  of  Israel 
were  willing  to  swim  the  rivers  at  their  flood  to  come 
to  David,  their  uncrowned  but  God-appointed  king. 
And  when  they  met  him  they  cried,  "  Thine  are  we, 
David,  and  on  thy  side,  thou  son  of  Jesse."  They 
were  his  because  God  had  given  them  to  him,  but 
.they  could  not  rest  content  till  they  were  his  also 
by  their  glad  choice.  Why,  then,  should  we  not 
say  the  same  to  Jesus  Christ? 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

It  is  the  hardest  thing  in  the  grammar  of  life  to 
learn  to  put  *'mine"  and  "thine"  in  just  the  right 
place.  That  is  life's  lesson.  Paul  had  learned  it  when 
he  said,  "Ye  are  not  your  own,"  and  when  he  stood  on 
that  deck  in  the  storm  and  said,  "  God,  whose  I  am 
and  whom  I  serve."  The  Christian  man  is  the  man 
who  has  found  to  whom  he  belongs.  The  world 
wants  men  who  know  where  they  belong  and  to 
whom  they  belong. 

W.  W.  Moore. 

One  may  use  that  which  has  been  dedicated  and 
belongs  to  God,  but  in  doing  so  he  robs  God.  Ye 
are  not  your  own.  Ye  have  been  bought  with  a 
price,  and  the  price  is  the  precious  blood  of  Christ; 
and  ye  were  sealed  with  a  seal,  which  is  the  Spirit 
of  God. 

J.  Wilbur  Chapman. 

816 


DAY 
XXXI 


For  ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 
When  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also 
appear  with  him  in  glory.— Col.  iii.  3. 

There  are  three  truths  upon  which  I  try  to  live 
every  day:  "I  have  died;"  "My  life  is  hid  with  Christ 
in  God;"  and  "When  Christ,  who  is  my  life,  shall 
be  manifested,  I  also  shall  be  manifested  with  him 
in  glory."  Do  you  believe  that?  If  you  have  not 
set  to  your  seal  that  God  is  true  in  these  great 
statements,  oh,  for  the  Spirit  of  God  to  seal  them 
upon  your  heart! 

Marcus  Rainsford. 

Our  life  is  a  trust,  not  a  gift;  let  us  use  it  ac- 
cordingly. Robert  E.  Speer. 

Some  men  talk  of  holiness  as  if  it  meant  that  it 
was  wrong  to  laugh,  be  bright,  engage  in  manly 
sports,  play  the  piano,  read  any  book  but  the  Bible, 
or  follow  certain  pursuits  for  which  we  have  natural 
aptitudes.  I  believe  that  God  in  his  Word  will  not 
contradict  the  nature  which  he  has  given,  and  that 
which  is  wrong  in  us  is  not  our  natural  aptitudes, 
but  the  self-life  around  which  those  aptitudes  re- 
volve. The  life  which  God  desires  his  children  to 
live  is  not  a  life  of  denial  of  anything  which  God 
has  imparted,  but  the  transference  of  these  from 
the  pivot  of  self  to  the  pivot  of  not  self,  w^hich  is 
Jesus  Christ,  incarnate  love.  The  man  who  enters 
this  life  is  still  a  bright  companion,  a  manly  athlete, 
still  enters  into  all  that  home  and  friendship  and 
life  may  mean ;  but  everything  is  hallowed,  elevated, 
ennobled,  because  revolving  evermore  round  the  will 
of  Jesus  Christ.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

317 


In  the  secret  of  his  presence  how  my  soul  delights  to 

hide! 
Oh,  how  precious  are  the  lessons  which  I  learn  at 

Jesus'  side! 
Earthly  cares  can  never  vex  me,  neither  trials  lay 

me  low; 
For  when  Satan  comes  to  tempt  me,  to  the  secret 

place  I  go. 

When  my  soul  is  faint  and  thirsty,  'neath  the  shadow 
of  his  wing 

There  is  cool  and  pleasant  shelter  and  a  fresh  and 
crystal  spring; 

And  my  Saviour  rests  beside  me,  as  we  hold  com- 
munion sweet: 

If  I  tried  I  could  not  utter  what  he  says  when  thus 
we  meet. 

Only  this  I  know:  I  tell  him  all  my  doubts,  my  griefs, 

and  fears. 
Oh,  how  patiently  he  listens!  and  my  drooping  soul 

he  cheers. 
Do  you  think  he  ne'er  reproves  me?    What  a  false 

friend  he  would  be 
If  he  never,  never  told  me  of  the  sins  which  he  must 

see! 

Would  you  like  to  know  the  sweetness  of  the  secret 

of  the  Lord? 
Go  and  hide  beneath  his  shadow;  this  shall  then  be 

your  reward. 
And  whene'er  you  leave  the  silence  of  that  happy 

meeting-place, 
You  must  mind  and  bear  the  image  of  the  Master 

in  your  face. 

Ellen  Lakshmi  Goreh. 

318 


iMontb  of  iJ^oveniber 

"Blue  Geuiiaiis 
J.  Hudson   Taj'lor  CcHhcdral  Tines 


But  ye  are  not  in  the  flesh,  but  in  the  Spirit,  if  so  be  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  dwell  in  you.  Now  if  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit 
of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his.— Rom.  viii.  9. 

In  the  matter  of  consecration  God  said  to  an 
Israelite,  "  Now,  if  you  wish  to  fully  consecrate  your 
life  to  me,  to  separate  yourself  unto  the  Lord,  you 
are  at  liberty  to  do  so  for  any  period  that  you  de- 
sire." The  vow  of  a  Nazarite  might  be  taken  for  a 
year,  or  for  five  or  seven  years,  for  a  half  or  a  whole 
lifetime.  God  seemed  to  say,  "  You  may  just  go  in 
for  as  much  consecration  and  blessing  as  you  have 
the  heart  to."  But  under  the  new  covenant  God 
would  have  us  all  to  recognize  all  through  our  Chris- 
tian life  that  we  are  not  our  own,  that  we  are  bought 
with  a  price,  and  that  he  has  a  rightful  claim  to  all 
we  have  and  to  all  we  are. 

In  like  manner,  under  the  old  covenant  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  given  for  special  service  on  special  occa- 
sions, but  it  was  needful  for  the  receiver  to  pray, 
"Take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me."  The  Spirit 
was  given  to  Saul,  but  was  taken  away,  and  we  might 
find  other  illustrations  of  the  same  truth.  But  to 
the  believer  under  the  new  covenant  the  Spirit  is 
given  as  a  seal  upon  a  document,  never  to  be  re- 
moved—as an  earnest  not  to  be  recalled  until  the 
redemption  of  the  purchased  possession.  We  may 
grieve  the  Spirit  and  lose  the  benefit  of  his  guidance, 
but  the  Spirit  does  not  leave  the  believer.  What  we 
want  is  to  have  the  open  ear  always  ready  to  hear 
and  to  obey  the  precious  One  who  has  taken  his 
abode  within  us. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 


319 


DAY 

n 

.  Consecration  is  not  the  act  of  our  feelings,  but  of 
our  will.  Do  not  try  to  feel  anything.  Do  not  try 
to  make  yourself  good  or  earnest  enough  for  Christ. 
God  is  working  in  you  to  will,  whether  you  feel  it  or 
not.  He  is  giving  you  power  to  will  and  do  his  good 
pleasure.  Believe  this  and  act  upon  it  at  once,  and 
say,  "  Lord  Jesus,  I  am  willing  to  be  thine;"  or  if  you 
cannot  say  as  much  as  that,  say,  "  Lord  Jesus,  I  am 
willing  to  be  made  willing  to  be  thine  forevermore." 
Consecration  is  only  possible  when  we  give  up  our 
will  about  everything.  As  soon  as  we  come  to  the 
point  of  giving  ourselves  to  God  we  are  almost  cer- 
tain to  become  aware  of  the  presence  of  one  thing, 
if  not  of  more,  out  of  harmony  with  his  will.  Every 
room  and  cupboard  in  the  house,  with  the  exception 
of  this,  thrown  open  to  the  new  occupant;  every  limb 
in  the  body,  but  one,  submitted  to  the  practised  hand 
of  the  good  Physician.  But  that  small  reserve  spoils 
the  whole.  To  give  ninety-nine  parts  and  to  with- 
hold the  hundredth  undoes  the  whole  transaction. 
Jesus  will  have  all  or  none.  Who  would  live  in  a 
fever-stricken  house  so  long  as  one  room  was  not 
exposed  to  disinfectants,  air,  and  sun?  Who  would 
undertake  a  case  so  long  as  the  patient  refused  to 
submit  one  part  of  his  body  to  examination?  Who 
would  become  responsible  for  a  bankrupt  so  long  as 
one  ledger  was  kept  back?  The  reason  that  so 
many  fail  to  attain  the  blessed  life  is  that  there  is 
some  one  point  in  which  they  hold  back  from  God 
and  concerning  which  they  prefer  to  have  their  own 
way  and  will  rather  than  his.  This  one  little  thing 
mars  the  whole,  robs  them  of  peace,  and  compels 
them  to  wander  in  the  desert. 

F,  B.  Meyer, 

320 


DAY 

m 


There  are  three  grades  of  Christian  life.  There 
is,  first  of  all,  the  dissatisfied  life;  the  life  that  knows 
there  is  something  which  it  does  not  possess;  the  life 
that  is  perpetually  discontented,  and  rightly  so,  with 
itself.  There  is,  second,  the  life  that  is  half  and 
half,  that  now  and  then  rises  up  to  the  Mount  of 
Transfiguration,  and  then  paces  for  long  seasons  over 
weary  wastes  of  whitened  ashes.  There  is  a  third 
life  of  satisfaction  and  contentment,  of  peace  and 
power  and  rest;  the  life  that  has  made  Jesus  Christ 
its  one  object;  the  life  that  every  man  lives  who  is 
able  to  say,  in  the  fine  phrase  of  Ignatius,  "  0  Christ, 
thou  art  '  my  inseparable  life.' "  The  soul  that  has 
made  Christ  its  one  object  has  entered  into  rest  and 
has  entered  into  power;  it  has  entered  into  a  life  of 
activity  which  no  foe  can  withstand,  and  of  content- 
ment which  no  storm  can  ruffle;  for  over  all  the  seas 
where  it  voyages  speaks  that  voice  which  quieted 
the  turbulent  waves  of  the  Tiberian  Sea:  "  Peace,  be 
still."  Nothing  can  overcome  or  disturb  the  soul 
that  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God  and  has  made  Christ 
the  one  object  of  its  life.  Robert  E.  Speer. 

The  difference  in  men  is  the  way  in  which  the 
truth  gets  hold  of  them  and  passes  through  them. 
The  electric  current  passes  through  the  wire  easily 
and  the  wire  is  unaffected  by  it;  but  the  carbon-point 
in  an  electric  light  holds  the  current  and  is  deeply 
possessed  by  it;  hence  there  flashes  out  the  brilliancy 
of  an  arc-light.  So  the  man  that  not  only  lets  truth 
pass  through  him,  but  is  charged,  possessed,  and 
held  by  that  truth,  becomes  a  point  where  truth  is 
manifested  and  vivified.      Wilton  Merle  Smith. 

321 


DAY 
IV 


Yet  a  little  while,  and  the  world  seeth  me  no  more;  but  ye  see 
me.— John  xiv.  19. 

When  the  sun  goes  down  our  hemisphere  does  not 
see  it  any  more,  but  the  moon  sees  it  all  night  long, 
and  the  moon  takes  the  sun's  light  and  throws  it 
down  upon  us.  When  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  set 
behind  the  hill  of  Olivet  the  world  saw  him  no  more; 
but  the  church,  because  it  is  seated  in  heavenly- 
places  in  Christ,  all  the  night  long  sees  the  Sun,  and 
throws  the  light  upon  the  world  through  the  Holy 
Ghost.  The  world  receives  what  light  it  has  from 
the  church,  and  the  church  receives  it  from  Jesus 
Christ.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

Only  Christ  can  influence  the  world;  but  all  that 
the  world  sees  of  Christ  is  what  it  sees  of  him  in  the 
life  of  his  followers.  ...  So  that  a  Christian's  use- 
fulness depends  solely  upon  his  relationship  to  Christ 
and  the  accuracy  with  which  he  reflects  the  divine 
likeness.  Henry  Drummond. 

Those  little  things  which  fill  up  our  lives  when 
relaxation  comes  are  spiritual  tests.  Do  we  choose 
spiritual  pleasures,  or  are  we  living  on  unspiritual 
things?  Robert  E.  Speer. 

What  is  needed  in  the  church  is  simplicity  of 
worship,  a  pure  gospel,  fervent  prayer,  unity  of  work, 
godly  men,  beauty  of  holiness,  and  prayer  for  return 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

We  talk  about  drawing  ministers;  what  we  want 
is  a  few  more  drawing  church-members! 

D.  L.  Moody. 

322 


;?2-2^  DAY 

V 

I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me,  while  it  is  day: 
the  night  cometh,  when  no  man  can  work,— John  ix.  4. 

This  world  is  a  poor  enough  place  for  selfishness, 
but  it  is  a  glorious  place  for  denying  self.  The  op- 
portunities for  doing  good  in  this  world  are  far  be- 
yond those  in  heaven.  A  very  little  light  goes  a 
great  way;  so  shines  a  good  deed  in  a  naughty  world. 
A  rushlight  in  a  humble  home  may  guide  a  wanderer. 
In  the  true  spirit  of  consecration  there  is  light.  It 
is  a  great  thing  to  give  light,  even  if  it  is  in  the 
humblest  home  and  goes  no  farther.  But  it  does  go . 
farther.  The  daybreak  is  a  jojiu]  prospect,  but  not 
for  those  whose  lights  have  smoked  and  died  to  ashes. 
"  If  only  I  had  let  it  blaze  in  the  night,  how  many 
wanderers  it  might  have  guided!"  you  lament. 
"Work,  for  the  night  is  coming;"  but  better  yet  is, 
"  Work,  for  the  night  is  past."  Make  good  use  of 
the  night  while  it  lasts.  The  light  of  love  is  greatly 
needed.  There  should  be  no  limit  to  great-hearted- 
ness.  J.  Monro  Gibson. 

Christians  are  constantly  praying  that  they  may 
hear,  "  Well  done,"  when  the  Lord  comes  to  reward 
his  servants,  while,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  they  are  do- 
ing nothing.  They  talk  about  entering  into  rest,  but 
what  are  they  going  to  rest  from?  A  beautiful  verse 
in  Thessalonians  referring  to  the  rest  of  the  saints 
is,  "Those  that  are  laid  to  sleep  through  Jesus." 
Dives  was  tormented  with  insomnia.  If  he  had  been 
late  to  dinner  because  he  was  looking  after  Lazarus's 
family,  and  had  clothed  a  thousand  children  among 
the  poor,  he  might  have  had  sleep;  but  because  he 
was  self-centered  he  could  get  none. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

323 


DAY 
VI 

The  Bible  is  the  most  practical  book  in  the  world. 
It  flies  straight  as  an  arrow  to  its  mark  and  wastes 
no  time  on  side  issues.  Its  one  design  is  to  bring 
men  into  right  relations  to  God,  and  so  to  save  them 
from  their  sins  and  guide  them  into  heaven.  There- 
fore it  is  not  a  revelation  of  all  religious  truth;  it 
reveals  only  what  we  need  to  know  for  our  salvation. 
Consequently,  also,  it  contains  many  statements 
which  present  only  partial  truths.  As  a  rule,  they 
present  facts,  not  reasons;  duties,  and  not  the  phi- 
losophy of  religion.  Hence  there  are  many  omissions 
of  what  would  interest  us  greatly  as  to  the  history 
of  the  past,  as  to  science,  as  to  the  biography  of 
great  men.  Addison  P.  Foster. 

When  Kepler  was  seeking  to  discover  the  true  law 
of  planetary  motion,  he  made  seventeen  successive 
experiments  before  the  hypothesis  was  applied  which 
disclosed  the  true  path  of  a  planet's  orbit.  In  the 
endeavor  to  unlock  the  mysteries  of  planetary  motion 
he  had  tried  seventeen  different  keys,  and  they  would 
not  work;  but  at  last  he  said,  "I  will  suppose  the 
path  of  a  planet  around  the  sun  to  be  not  a  circle, 
but  an  ellipse,  with  the  sun  at  one  of  the  foci." 
When  he  put  that  key  in  the  lock  the  bolts  were 
thrown  back,  the  doors  that  had  been  shut  for  mil- 
lenniums flew  open ;  he  flung  up  his  hands  in  rapture 
and  said,  "0  Almighty  God,  I  am  thinking  thy 
thoughts  after  thee."  That  is  the  way  to  study  the 
Bible.  Take  the  biblical  facts  and  seek  to  find  God's 
key.  When  you  have  found  that,  it  will  perfectly 
unlock  God's  mysteries,  and  you  will  not  need  to  go 
hunting  around  for  a  human  locksmith. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

324 


DAY 

vn 

The  unity  of  the  Bible  is  fourfold.  First,  the  same 
purpose  runs  through  the  Bible.  The  first  two  chap- 
ters describe  the  creation  of  the  first  earth,  the  last 
two  chapters  the  creation  of  the  new  earth;  the  first 
two  the  birth  of  man,  the  last  two  the  birth  of  the 
race;  the  first  two  the  earthly  Eden,  the  last  two  the 
heavenly  Eden.  And  all  the  Bible  between  is  the 
bringing  of  man  from  earth  to  heaven. 

Second,  there  is  the  unity  of  the  character  of  God. 
He  is  always  holy,  pure,  sin-hating,  the  eternal 
Father,  Saviour,  and  Comforter. 

Third,  the  moral  law  of  the  Bible  is  always  the 
same.  The  ten  commandments  are  just  as  binding 
to-day  as  three  thousand  years  ago,  and  as  much  en- 
forced by  the  conscience  of  men.  They  smite  every 
sin  and  crime  of  the  nineteenth  century  as  they  did 
the  sins  of  the  past.  The  applications  have  been 
different,  but  they  have  the  same  hold  on  human 
nature.  The  ceremonial  laws  were  not  done  away 
with,  but  fulfilled  in  Christ,  and  the  spiritual  truths 
thus  taught  are  eternal  truths.  The  laws  are  the 
scaifolding  that  falls  away,  and  the  truth  is  the 
temple  that  remains  forever. 

Fourth,  there  is  a  unity  of  the  scheme  of  redemp- 
tion running  throughout  the  whole  Bible,  at  first  in 
types  and  symbols,  in  ceremonies  and  forms,  for  the 
training  of  the  infancy  of  the  race  in  the  truths  of 
salvation,  and  at  last  in  the  life  of  the  Son  of  God 
and  his  atonement  on  the  cross,  to  which  all  types 
and  sacrifices  pointed,  and  in  which  all  were  fulfilled. 
We  will  not  understand  fully  the  Old  Testament 
and  its  sacrifices  till  we  see  them  in  the  light  shining 
from  the  cross,  which  they  prefigured  and  foretold. 

F.  N.  Peloubet. 

325 


DAY 

vm 


If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine.— 
John  vii.  17. 

Obedience,  as  Robertson  puts  it,  is  the  spiritual 
organ  of  knowledge,  and  if  any  man  refuses  to  obey 
what  he  knows,  he  shall  know  no  more;  whereas  if 
any  man  obeys  what  he  knows,  he  shall  be  led 
swiftly  in  the  path  of  truth. 

A.  F.  SCHAUFFLER. 

The  Bible  rings  with  one  long  demand  for  obedi- 
ence. The  key-word  of  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy  is, 
"  Observe  and  do."  The  burden  of  our  Lord's  fare- 
well discourse  is,  "  If  ye  love  me,  keep  my  command- 
ments." We  must  not  question  or  reply  or  excuse 
ourselves.  We  must  not  pick  and  choose  our  way. 
We  must  not  think  that  obedience  in  one  direction 
will  compensate  for  disobedience  in  some  other  par- 
ticular. God  gives  one  command  at  a  time;  if  we 
obey  this  he  will  flood  our  soul  with  blessing,  and 
lead  us  forward  into  new  paths  and  pastures.  But 
if  we  refuse  we  shall  remain  stagnant  and  water- 
logged, make  no  progress  in  Christian  experience, 
and  lack  both  power  and  joy. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

There  is  only  one  way  to  get  to  know  God,  and  it 
is  along  the  path  of  obedience,  along  the  path  of 
bowing  our  stiff  knees,  and  opening  our  lockjawed 
mouths,  and  praying  out  of  our  hearts,  and  giving 
our  entire  obedience  to  his  will. 

John  McNeill. 


326 


DAY 
IX 


And  that  ye  study  to  be  quiet,  and  to  do  your  own  business, 
and  to  work  with  your  own  hands,  as  we  commanded  you.— 
1  Thess.  iv.  11. 

Here  St.  Paul  exhorts  us  to  service  conjoined 
with  silence,  doing  the  best  we  can  and  saying  noth- 
ing about  it.  Some  clocks  strike  the  hours,  and 
some  tell  the  time  of  day  only  with  their  hands.  So 
some  Christians  advertise  their  business,  and  others 
do  it  and  say  nothing  about  it.  Two  texts  ought  to 
be  read  together:  "Do  not  sound  a  trumpet  before 
you,"  and  "Let  your  light  so  shine."  God  wants 
you  to  be  ambitious  to  have  good  works  that  some- 
body can  see;  light  travels  faster  than  sound,  and 
so,  with  Christians,  you  see  the  flash  before  you  hear 
the  report  if  they  are  the  right  sort.  The  ambition 
is,  not  that  men  may  praise  you,  but  that  they  may 
glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  You  thus 
have  an  opportunity  to  be  ambitious,  and  yet  to  be 
sublimely  humble. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

The  first  thing  a  man  must  do  if  he  desires  to  be 
used  in  the  Lord's  work  is  to  make  an  unconditional 
surrender  of  himself  to  God.  He  must  consecrate  and 
then  concentrate.  A  man  who  does  not  put  his  whole 
life  into  one  channel  does  not  count  for  much,  and 
the  man  who  only  goes  into  work  with  half  a  heart 
does  not  amount  to  much.  We  are  living  in  an  in- 
tense age,  and  if  a  man  is  to  succeed  he  must  set 
himself  apart  for  the  work  and  throw  all  his  energy 
into  it. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

327 


DAY 
X 


The  Bible  has  very  little  to  say  about  the  end  of 
its  heroes  and  heroines,  but  very  much  about  their 
beginning.  The  death-bed,  the  parting  scene,  the 
final  rapture— these  things  find  small  space  in  the 
Scriptures;  but  the  divine  summons  to  service  is  re- 
lated almost  everywhere  with  minute  and  definite 
detail.  What  was  the  end  of  the  life  of  the  Apostle 
Paul  ?  The  last  sentence  in  regard  to  him  reads,  "Paul 
dwelt  two  whole  years  in  his  own  hired  house,  .  .  . 
preaching  the  kingdom  of  God,  ...  no  man  for- 
bidding him."  But  the  conversion  of  that  apostle 
with  his  summons  to  his  apostolate  is  related  three 
times  with  wonderful  and  startling  vividness.  The 
last  sentence  with  regard  to  Peter  is  simply,  "  And 
Peter  departed  and  went  into  another  place."  But 
can  we  ever  forget  how  the  young  Messiah,  w^alking 
by  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  summoned  the  young  apostles, 
Peter  and  Andrew,  to  follow  after  him?  Peter  was 
never  weary  of  telling  of  that.  So  of  Moses  it  is 
saidj  "  No  man  knoweth  his  sepulcher,"  but  every 
man  knows  his  call.  Did  Amos  pass  away  in  peace  ? 
What  were  the  closing  scenes  in  the  life  of  Ezekiel  ? 
What  was  the  end  of  Jeremiah?  The  Bible  does  not 
tell  us;  but  every  one  of  those  prophets  has  related 
with  the  utmost  detail  how  at  some  time  in  his  life 
a  divine  hand  was  laid  upon  him,  and  a  divine  voice 
was  heard  speaking  to  his  soul.  In  short,  the  Bible 
places  tremendous  emphasis  on  the  fact  that  God 
does  summon  men  and  women  to  specific  forms  of 
Christian  service,  and  that  we  may  recognize  his  call. 

W.  H.  P.  Faunce. 


S2g 


"^  XI 


There  are  three  passages  in  which  Christ  speaks 
of  the  work  we  ought  to  do  and  where  he  teaches 
the  principle  of  the  overflowing  cup.  They  are  very 
remarkable.  First,  "  As  the  Father  hath  sent  me, 
even  so  send  I  you."  Are  you  willing  to  be  sent 
into  the  world  as  Jesus  Christ  was  sent?  We 
shrink  back.  I  believe  that  it  is  true,  and  yet  it 
is  hard  for  me  to  believe  that  I  am  sent  down  into 
the  towTi  where  I  live  as  Jesus  Christ  was  sent  into 
the  world.  The  next  passage  carries  us  a  little 
further;  it  teaches  that  if  you  go  into  the  world 
loving  and  trusting  Christ  you  shall  do  the  works 
that  he  did,  "and  greater  works  than  these  shall 
ye  do."  Have  you  worked  any  miracle  to-day?  We 
talk  about  Christ's  miracles.  He  said,  "You  shall 
do  greater  ones."  Think  of  that!  Jesus  opened 
the  eyes  of  a  blind  man,  and  he  looked  up  and  saw 
the  face  of  his  Lord.  Have  you  ever  opened  your 
friend's  eyes  so  that  he  looked  up  into  the  face  of 
Jesus?  That  is  a  greater  thing.  The  other  pas- 
sage is  the  strangest  of  all.  Christ  said  to  the 
Father,  "The  glory  that  thou  gavest  me  I  have 
given  them,  .  .  .  that  the  world  may  know  that 
thou  hast  loved  them  as  thou  hast  loved  me."  I 
believe  with  all  my  heart  in  the  love  of  God.  But 
here  we  see  his  royal  bounty.  Let  us  be  willing  to 
be  loved  as  Christ  is  loved,  and  to  love  in  return 
with  all  the  heart  and  more. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

We  are  workers  together  with  God;  do  not  let  us 
forget  God. 

Francis  Murphy. 

329 


^0-0^^^^^ 


DAY 

xn 

Power  belongeth  unto  God.— Ps.  Ixii.  11. 

It  is  only  as  we  have  power  from  on  high  that  we 
have  spiritual  power  at  all.  Some  people  have  a 
good  deal  to  say  about  the  latent  power  that  exists 
in  the  church  of  God.  There  is  no  such  thing  as 
power,  either  latent  or  expressed,  in  the  church  of 
God.  Power  is  just  as  distinct  from  the  church  as 
steam  is  distinct  from  the  engine  that  it  moves,  or 
as  life  is  distinct  from  the  earth  that  seems  to  bring 
it  forth. 

B.  Fay  Mills. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  church  of  God  in 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  does  not  preside.  There 
are  a  great  many  so-called  churches  of  Christ  which 
I  believe  Christ  utterly  disowns  because  the  Spirit 
of  God  does  not  regulate  those  church  organiza- 
tions. They  are  mere  churches  of  men— sometimes 
religious  clubs,  sometimes  benevolent  societies, 
sometimes  social  organizations,  baptized  with  a  re- 
ligious name;  but  that  alone  is  a  church  of  God  in 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  rules  and  presides,  and 
where  his  invisible  headship  is  acknowledged  and 
reverently  submitted  to  in  the  fear  of  God. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

The  Holy  Spirit  must  have  the  right  atmosphere 
to  work  in.  You  must  have  air  to  convey  sound, 
and  you  must  have  the  Spirit  in  order  to  carry 
home  the  truth  to  men's  hearts. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

All  Christians,  like  all  Scripture,  should  be  God- 
breathed.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

330 


^^Z^  DAY 


^^ 


xni 


If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take 
up  his  cross,  and  follow  me.  —Matt.  xvi.  24. 

I  must  deny  myself  and  take  Jesus  himself  as  my 
life;  I  must  choose.  There  are  two  lives,  the  self- 
life  and  the  Christ-life;  I  must  choose  either  of  the 
two.  "Follow  me,"  says  our  Lord;  "make  me  as 
your  rule  of  conduct,  give  me  your  whole  heart, 
follow  me,  and  I  will  care  for  all." 

Andrew  Murray. 

The  clay  has  no  option  but  to  be  what  the  potter 
would  make  it;  but,  somehow,  you  and  I  possess  the 
marvelous  power  of  saying  "Yes"  and  "No"  to 
God.  If  you  say  "  Yes,"  then  you  have  the  blessed- 
ness of  the  beatitudes;  if  you  say  "No,"  "Woe  to 
him  that  striveth  with  his  Maker!"  God  wants  to 
make  you,  but  you  have  the  power  to  resist,  and 
you  have  used  it. 

A  great  Christian  worker,  when  dying,  was  asked 
the  secret  of  his  saintliness.  He  modestly  dis- 
claimed any  title  to  saintliness,  but  he  said,  "The 
secret  of  my  life  is  that  I  have  said  '  Yes '  to  Christ." 
I  think  I  hear  that  clay  saying  "  Yes  "  to  the  potter 
every  time  he  touches  it.  With  all  your  heart  say 
"  Yes  "  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  let  him  have  a  chance 
to  make  you  over  again.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

We  talk  about  being  surrendered  to  the  will  of 
God.  When  you  get  into  your  carriage  you  sur- 
render yourself  to  the  horse,  but  you  hold  the  reins 
and  make  him  go  where  you  want  to.  It  seems  that 
we  surrender  to  God's  will,  but  try  to  hold  the  reins 
and  do  God's  will  by  doing  our  way. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 
331 


DAY 
XIV 

There  is  more  said  in  the  Bible  about  praise  than 
about  prayer.  I  believe  it  is  just  as  important  that 
we  sing  with  the  Spirit  as  that  we  pray  with  the 
Spirit  or  speak  in  the  Spirit,  and  if  we  could  have 
all  our  worship  in  the  Spirit,  the  Holy  Ghost  would 
work  not  only  while  we  were  preaching  and  pray- 
ing, but  while  we  were  singing.  Many  a  church 
has  lost  its  power  on  account  of  the  choir  that  has 
not  been  in  harmony  with  God.  A  godless  choir 
will  keep  the  Holy  Ghost  from  working  in  any 
church,  or  a  choir  that  sings  in  an  unknown  tongue. 

We  don't  thank  and  praise  God  half  enough. 
That  is  one  reason  why  so  many  of  our  churches  are 
so  dull  and  gloomy.  When  churches  get  into  a 
backslidden  state,  they  hire  singers  to  stand  away 
up  in  some  organ-loft  and  praise  God  for  them. 
How  can  we  expect  God  to  give  us  further  blessings 
if  we  don't  thank  him  for  what  he  has  given  us? 
One  of  the  best  ways  to  wake  a  church  up  and  start 
a  revival  is  to  hold  a  praise-meeting. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Cheerful  tempers  manufacture  solace  and  joy 
out  of  very  unpromising  material.  They  are  the 
magic  alchemists  which  extract  sweet  essences  out 
of  bitter  herbs,  like  the  dear  old  colored  saint  in 
the  smoky  hut  who  was  "  glad  of  anything  to  make 
a  smoke  with,"  and,  though  she  had  but  two  teeth, 
thanked  God  that  they  were  "  opposite  each  other." 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

God  can  do  no  more  for  you  than  he  has  done. 
All  that  God  has  is  within  your  reach,  but  you  must 
learn  to  take  it.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

332 


DAY 
XV 

The  work  of  the  hands  and  of  the  head  are  sub- 
ordinate to  that  of  the  heart.  If  you  have  been  re- 
deemed by  Christ,  renewed  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
your  citizenship  is  in  heaven,  what  is  your  principal 
business?  It  is  to  tell  others  about  Jesus  Christ, 
and  bring  them  to  the  knowledge  of  his  love  and 
of  his  grace.  Whatever  else  you  do  must  be  sub- 
ordinated to  that,  and  it  is  a  shame  and  scandal  in 
our  nineteenth-century  Christianity  that  so  many 
business  men  get  and  live  and  labor  and  save,  as  if 
they  understood  that  getting  riches  was  the  end  of 
their  existence,  instead  of  getting  riches  in  order 
to  glorify  God.  I  care  not  what  your  occupation 
is,— you  may  be  a  carpenter  at  the  bench,  a  black- 
smith at  the  forge,  a  merchant  behind  the  counter, 
—your  first  business  is  to  give  the  gospel  to  those 
that  have  not  heard  it.  Does  it  look  as  though  we 
regarded  it  as  our  principal  business? 

There  are  eight  billions  in  the  hands  of  Christians 
in  America;  that  is,  invested  for  the  most  part  in 
bonds,  mortgages,  diamonds,  silks,  horses,  carriages, 
houses,  furniture,  pictures,  and  a  thousand  other 
things— vastly  more  than  in  that  which  ought  to  be 
the  principal  business  of  the  Christian,  giving  the 
gospel  to  the  world.  Some  men  say,  "I  believe 
that  the  world  is  getting  better  and  iDetter  every 
day,"  although  they  have  milHons  laid  up,  and  yet 
you  cannot  get  twenty  cents  out  of  them  for  the 
Lord's  work.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

There  is  no  other  way  to  win  a  soul  than  by  see- 
ing in  him  one  whom  Christ  loves,  and  whom  Christ, 
your  Saviour,  would  have  you  win  to  him. 

L.  W.  MUXHALL. 

333 


DAY 
XVI 

Enthusiasm  is  the  normal  condition  of  a  true 
Christian.  Sometimes  in  the  month  of  February, 
when  the  thermometer  is  away  down  at  zero,  an 
ignorant  man  says,  "  The  sun  doesn't  give  as  much 
heat  as  usual;  it  must  be  burning  out  and  cooling 
down."  But  on  the  very  day  when  the  thermome- 
ter is  at  zero,  if  you  could  send  a  pyramid  of  ice 
fifty  miles  in  diameter  flying  toward  the  sun  at  the 
rate  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  millions  of  miles 
in  a  minute,  it  would  melt  as  fast  as  it  flew.  We 
are  at  a  different  angle  to  the  sun  in  February  to 
what  we  are  in  July.  If  you  are  a  cold  Christian 
you  are  in  a  wrong  attitude  toward  Jesus  Christ; 
away  from  duty,  away  from  prayer,  away  in  worldli- 
ness,  away  in  unbelief,  indulging  in  some  besetting 
sin.  When  you  get  into  the  right  position  with 
reference  to  Jesus  Christ,  the  blessing  will  descend 
upon  you  most  abundantly. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 


A  great  many  people  are  afraid  of  enthusiasm. 
If  a  man  is  enthusiastic  they  raise  the  cry,  "Zeal 
without  knowledge!"  I  should  rather  have  zeal 
without  knowledge  than  knowledge  without  zeal. 
I  know  men  as  wise  as  owls  without  any  fire  in 
their  souls.  Enthusiasm  means  "in  God";  and  I 
can't  understand  how  any  man  can  realize  his  stand- 
ing before  God  and  not  be  on  fire  three  hundred  and 
sixty-five  days  in  the  year.  Any  man  who  goes  into 
business  and  doesn't  throw  his  heart  into  it  doesn't 
succeed.  Now  why  not  go  into  the  Lord's  work  as 
earnestly  as  into  athletics? 

D.  L.  Moody. 

834 


DAY 

xvn 


The  psalmist  tells  us  that  "  the  fool  hath  said  in 
his  heart,  No  God,  no  God."  It  was  a  fool  who  said 
it,  and  even  a  fool  had  to  say  it  in  his  heart,  for 
even  a  fool's  head  knew  better  than  that.  Atheism, 
of  whatever  kind,  is  a  freezing  void,  an  arctic  breath, 
a  lifeless  life,  an  atmosphere  in  which  no  wing  can 
soar,  no  heart  can  beat,  and  no  soul  rejoice.  Athe- 
ism can  transform  a  rare  day  in  June  into  a  raw 
day  in  January.  R.  S.  MacArthur. 

A  good  theological  definition  of  the  nature  and 
effects  of  the  labors  and  mission  of  an  atheist  or 
infidel  is,  "The  devil's  whetstone  to  sharpen  dull 
preachers  on."  I.  D.  Driver. 

Honest  doubt  is  simply  the  absence  of  conviction, 
and  its  remedy  is  evidence;  dishonest  doubt  comes 
from  moral  alienation,  and  its  only  remedy  is  re- 
pentance and  submission  to  truth.  You  can  no 
more  cure  dishonest  doubt  by  evidence  than  you 
can  cure  cataract  on  the  eye  by  an  operation  on  the 
ears.  We  should  respect  honest  doubt  which  comes 
from  insufficient  evidence;  for  we  are  not  sponges 
to  be  put  a-soak  in  a  tub  of  doctrine,  and  take  up 
whatever  happens  to  be  in  the  tub.  But  an  honest 
doubter  will  leave  no  stone  unturned  in  order  that 
he  may  find  out  the  truth.     Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

The  most  mischievous  infidelity  is  not  that  which 
men  read  out  of  books,  but  that  which  they  read  out 
of  professedly  Christian  lives.  When  church-mem- 
bers show  that  Christ  is  able  to  cast  out  the  devil  of 
self,  they  will  furnish  the  evidence  which  the  skeptic 
demands.  Josiah  Strong. 

335 


DAY 

xvm 

A  small  circle  of  usefulness  is  not  to  be  despised. 
A  light  that  doesn't  shine  beautifully  around  the 
family  table  at  home  is  not  fit  to  take  a  long  way 
off  to  do  a  great  service  somewhere  else. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 

Some  men  are  afraid  of  being  too  religious. 
What  we  need  to-day  is  men  who  believe  down  deep 
in  their  soul  what  they  profess.  The  world  is  tired 
and  sick  of  sham.  Let  your  whole  heart  be  given 
up  to  God's  service.  Aim  high.  God  wants  us  all 
to  be  his  ambassadors.  It  is  a  position  higher  than 
that  of  any  monarch  on  earth  to  be  a  herald  of  the 
cross;  but  you  must  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 
A  great  many  people  are  afraid  to  be  filled  with  the 
Spirit  of  God— afraid  of  being  called  fanatics.  You 
are  not  good  for  anything  until  the  world  considers 
you  a  fanatic.  Fox  said  that  every  Quaker  ought 
to  shake  the  country  ten  miles  around.  What  does 
the  Scripture  say?  "One  shall  chase  a  thousand, 
and  two  shall  put  ten  thousand  to  flight."  It  takes 
about  a  thousand  to  chase  one  now.  It  takes  about 
a  thousand  Christians  to  make  one  decent  one  now. 
Why?  Because  they  are  afraid  of  being  too  reli- 
gious. What  does  this  world  want  to-day?  Men— 
men  that  are  out  and  out  for  God,  and  not  half- 
hearted in  their  allegiance  and  service. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

What  a  cowardly  religion  it  is  to  be  afraid  to 
oppose  the  foe  until  Christ  has  vanquished  him,  and 
then  rush  over  his  corpse  and  kick  it  and  get  all  we 
can  from  what  Jesus  has  done,  but  never  think  of 
him  who  gained  the  victory  at  the  cost  of  his  life. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 
336 


DAY 
XIX 

Sanctification  is  making  real  in  our  lives  our  con- 
dition in  Christ.  If  we  are  sanctified  in  Christ,  it  is 
our  business  to  be  sanctified  in  ourselves.  Make 
the  real  state  correspond  to  the  ideal.  The  gospel 
is  the  opposite  from  morality.  Morality  says,  "  I 
ought  to  be  holy,  therefore  I  will  be  holy."  The 
gospel  says,  "Ye  are  holy  in  Christ,  therefore  be 
holy  in  yourself."  A.  J.  Gordon. 

God's  Word  tells  us  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  already 
given  as  the  universal  income  of  the  church.  We 
shall  know  the  full  extent  of  our  inheritance  when 
we  see  Jesus  as  he  is ;  meanwhile,  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
described  as  "  the  earnest  of  our  inheritance."  A 
man  may  possess  a  splendid  income  and  yet  may 
never  have  seen  his  magnificent  property.  What 
we  enjoy  of  our  income  is  the  measure  of  holiness 
which  we  really  possess  and  exhibit  in  this  life. 
Holiness  is,  so  to  speak,  the  expenditure  of  income 
received  through  God's  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Hereafter  the  inheritance  will  be  ours  in  its  full- 
ness; then  we  shall  know  as  we  are  known. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

A  man  who  is  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit  will  have 
an  undoubted  assurance  of  his  sonship;  moreover, 
he  will  be  cleansed  from  the  power  and  love  of  in- 
dwelling sin;  he  will  be  tempted,  but  will  find  that 
his  inner  nature  is  like  a  tinder-box  which  has  be- 
come damp.  The  devil  will  still  try  to  strike  his 
matches  upon  him,  but  the  man  will  not  respond; 
he  will  be  so  saturated  with  the  Holy  Spirit  that 
there  will  be  no  response  as  in  other  days. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 
337 


DAY 
XX 

It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.— Acts  xx.  35. 

This  is  true  whatever  be  the  character  of  our  ac- 
quisitions. There  are  riches  of  learning;  but  what 
are  the  highest  advantages  of  intellectual  culture? 
Is  one  to  study  and  travel,  read  and  write,  simply  for 
the  sake  of  being  a  student,  a  writer,  a  walking  library 
of  knowledge  or  an  encyclopedia  of  information? 
Our  instincts  tell  us  that  we  are  not  to  live  simply 
to  acquire;  society  does  not  want  mere  effigies, 
whether  stuffed  with  bran  or  brains;  but  the  world 
wants  men,  living,  working,  serving  others,  who  ac- 
quire in  order  to  impart,  who  have  at  heart  the  good 
of  the  race.  Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

Inquire  diligently  what  blood  mortgage  there  is  on 
your  property  in  the  interest  of  foreign  missions— 
how  much  you  owe  to  the  heathen  because  of  what 
you  owe  to  Christ  for  redeeming  you  with  his  pre- 
cious blood.  It  will  go  hard  with  you  when  your  Lord 
comes  to  reckon  with  you  if  he  finds  your  wealth 
invested  in  superfluous  luxuries,  or  hoarded  up  in 
needless  accumulations,  instead  of  being  sacredly 
devoted  to  giving  the  gospel  to  the  lost. 

A.  J.  Gordon. 

The  mistake  of  the  Christian  world  is  that  they 
expect  to  have  the  beatitudes  without  fulfilling  the 
conditions  attached  to  them.  How  often  do  we  pray 
that  we  may  have  the  kingdom  of  heaven  without 
thinking  that  we  must  first  be  poor  in  spirit.  How 
often  do  we  pray  for  mercy,  without  first  seeking  to 
be  merciful.  How  often  do  we  expect  to  be  filled 
because  we  hunger  and  thirst,  when  we  have  never 
made  sure  that  what  we  are  hungering  and  thirst- 
ing for  is  real  righteousness. 
338  Henry  Drummond. 


DAY 
XXI 


But  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering, 
gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  meekness,  temperance:  against  such 
there  is  no  law.— Gal.  v.  22,  23. 

Let  US  not  talk  of  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit;  it  is 
the  fruit  of  the  Spirit— nine  grapes  in  one  bunch. 
It  is  all  of  one  Spu'it  who  desires  to  work  one  and 
the  same  blessed  fruit  in  us  all.  Here  are  nine 
beautiful  grapes,  and  they  all  relate  to  character, 
rather  than  conduct.  Perhaps  you  are  longing  for 
splendid  conduct,  wanting  to  go  and  do  some  great 
works.  God  wants  you  to  begin  with  character. 
The  Holy  Ghost  works  character;  then  he  can  fill 
you  for  service;  and  assuredly  God  desires  all  to  be 
thus  blessedly  filled.  It  is  no  man's  special  preroga- 
tive or  gift,  above  his  fellows,  to  be  filled  with  the 
Spirit.  But  remember  that,  while  the  world  "re- 
sists the  Holy  Ghost,"  even  a  child  of  God  may 
"  grieve  "  and  "  quench  "  him. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 


The  Holy  Ghost  comes  to  make  Christ  an  actual, 
indwelling,  always  abiding  Saviour.  Christ  saves 
me  with  a  full  salvation.  Whatever  delay  there 
may  be  in  the  full  enjoyment,  if  we  trust  Christ  he 
will  make  his  word  true.  Then  rest  simply  upon 
the  word  of  promise.  Resting  means  abandoning 
yourself  to  the  object  upon  which  you  rest.  Aban- 
don yourself  to  the  living  Christ;  let  your  faith  rest 
in  the  promise  and  the  love  of  Jesus— that  is  your 
only  safety,  but  that  is  a  sure  foundation. 

Andrew  Murray. 


339 


DAY 

xxn 


It  is  remarkable  how  often  maps  have  played  a 
great  part  in  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 
The  little  haystack  prayer-meeting  in  Williamstown 
was  not  simply  a  place  for  worship,  but  a  place  for 
the  study  of  the  map  of  the  world.  Carey's  cobbler 
shop  was  not  only  a  place  for  making  shoes,  not 
only  a  place  of  prayer;  it  was  a  place  for  the  study 
of  the  world's  map.  If  your  map  has  less  than  the 
world  on  it,  then  you  cannot  truly  decide  on  your 
field  of  Christian  endeavor.  I  believe  that  no  one 
field  is  better  than  all  other  fields,  and  no  one  form 
of  Christian  service  is  more  acceptable  to  God  than 
all  other  forms.  Suppose  we  should  take  Charles 
H.  Spurgeon,  Phillips  Brooks,  David  Livingstone, 
and  Joseph  Neesima,  could  any  of  you  take  those 
four  lives  and  say  which  has  been  most  blessed  of 
God?  We  should  be  content  with  the  song  of  little 
Pippa  as  she  passed  through  the  city  singing: 

"All  service  ranks  the  same  with  God: 
.  .  .  There  is  no  last  or  first." 

Every  opening  life  should  have  before  it  the 
knowledge  of  the  entire  kingdom  of  God.  We 
should  keep  before  our  eyes  what  God  is  doing  in 
all  parts  of  the  world,  and  remember  that  the  field 
is  the  world,  and  not  simply  a  little  part  of  it.  The 
field  is  not  the  church;  the  church  is  simply  the 
reapers  thrust  out  into  the  field.  God  help  us  to 
keep  before  ourselves  the  map  of  his  entire  extended 
kingdom,  and  give  us  a  heart  that  is  willing  to  go 
anywhere.  Until  we  are  willing  to  go  anywhere  we 
are  fit  to  go  nowhere. 

W.  H.  P.  Faunce. 


W^^^-'^^^-^^  °^^ 


'^'^^Kfe 


xxni 


There  is  great  need  at  home.  Let  no  man  in  his 
zeal  for  the  mission  field  minimize  for  one  moment 
the  need  for  Christian  activity  in  this  land.  With 
a  hundred  thousand  drunkards  going  down  every 
year  to  the  drunkards'  hell;  with  a  million  voters 
unable  to  read  the  votes  they  cast;  with  four  million 
children  out  of  the  public  schools;  with  thirteen 
million  children  out  of  the  Sabbath-school;  with 
seventy-five  per  cent,  of  our  young  men  never  en- 
tering a  Christian  church— God  knows  there  is  need 
enough  for  Christian  work  in  the  United  States! 
But  enough  for  what?  Enough  to  make  us  ashamed 
that  there  should  be  so  much  after  two  centuries 
of  Christian  activity.  Yes,  but  not  enough  to 
justify  us  in  nullifying  the  last  command  of  Christ. 
Whose  fault  is  it  that  there  is  so  much  work  to  be 
done  in  the  United  States?  Is  it  the  Hindu's  or 
the  Chinaman's  or  the  African's  fault?  By  what 
right  do  we  shut  them  out  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
because  of  a  state  of  affairs  for  which  they  have  no 
responsibility  at  all?  The  gospel  was  not  given  to 
them  on  condition  that  there  was  no  need  in  Amer- 
ica for  the  gospel.  It  was  given  to  "  every  crea- 
ture." Of  course  there  is  need  for  Christian  work 
in  the  United  States,  but  at  whose  door  is  the  re- 
sponsibility to  be  laid?  God's?  "All  power  is 
given  unto  me,  and  I  hand  it  on  to  you."  The 
heathen's  door?  They  have  not  knowTi  there  was 
any  such  country  as  this.  No  man  can  hide  him- 
self behind  the  sophistry  that  God's  peculiar  love 
for  our  nation,  or  the  peculiar  need  for  Christian 
work  in  this  land,  justifies  us  in  neglecting  the 
untold  millions  who  wait  that  life  whose  dawning 
maketh  all  things  new.  Robert  E.  Speer. 

341 


DAY 
XXIV 

There  is  a  world-wide  difference  between  the  falling 
of  a  sinner  and  the  stumbling  of  a  saint.  The  sin- 
ner habitually  walks  in  the  way  of  evil;  the  saint 
has  deliberately  chosen  the  way  of  good.  When 
the  sinner  falls,  he  falls  in  the  evil  way  that  he  is 
pursuing;  that  is  to  say,  his  uniform  course  is  sin- 
ful, but  his  fall  involves  an  outbreaking  sin.  Lust 
has  been  in  his  heart,  but  it  breaks  out  in  open  im- 
purity; latent  hate  has  been  there,  but  it  betrays 
him  into  the  sin  of  violence;  secret  avarice  now  be- 
comes open  overreaching  or  dishonesty.  The  sin  is 
in  accordance  with  the  habitual  life  w^hich  he  has 
been  leading.  On  the  other  hand,  when  the  child 
of  God,  who  has  chosen  the  good  way  and  walked  in 
it  thus  far,  stumbles  into  sin,  this  is  not  in  accor- 
dance with  his  ordinary  walk;  and  when  he  is  re- 
covered by  the  grace  of  God,  he  pursues  the  same 
path,  in  the  same  direction,  as  before  his  error. 
The  difference  between  these  two  is  finely  expressed 
in  the  Bible.  James  says,  "  Brethren,  if  any  of  you 
do  err  from  the  truth,  and  one  bring  him  back."  A 
brother  is  supposed  to  be  w^alking  in  the  way  of  the 
truth,  and  to  make  a  temporary  deviation  from  that 
way;  and  some  one  is  to  call  his  attention  to  the 
evil-doing,  and  bring  him  back  into  the  right  way. 
Again,  the  Apostle  Paul  says  in  his  letter  to  the 
Galatians,  "Brethren,  if  a  man  be  overtaken  in 
a  fault,  ye  which  are  spiritual,  restore  such  a 
one."  Some  old  habit  comes  up,  as  it  were,  from 
behind,  and,  when  he  is  incautious  and  unheeding, 
trips  him  up,  so  that  he  falls.  Now  you,  says  Paul, 
which  are  spiritual,  go  and  help  him  up  on  his  feet, 
and  set  him  on  his  way  again,  with  the  help  of  your 
S3mipathy  and  prayer.  Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

342 


DAY 
XXV 

How  many  men  and  women  of  ability  there  are  in 
the  church  of  whom  we  expect  great  things  but 
who  always  disappoint  us!  What  is  the  matter? 
Sin!  Oh,  if  you  would  have  a  mighty  work  of  God 
in  your  own  soul,  ask  God  to  search  your  heart, 
and  if  God  shows  you  some  sin,  give  it  up.  No 
matter  if  it  is  like  tearing  out  your  heartstrings, 
out  with  it!  It  hinders  a  mighty  work  of  God  in 
your  soul.  R.  A.  Torrey. 

You  are  not  responsible  if  disreputable  persons 
ring  at  your  door;  but  for  the  persons  whom  you 
systematically  take  into  your  home  life  you  are 
permanently  responsible.  Just  so  for  the  thought 
that  you  dwell  on,  that  you  turn  as  a  sweet  morsel 
under  the  tongue,  that  colors  and  shapes  the  whole 
fabric  of  your  life— for  that  thought  you  are  respon- 
sible. Merrill  E.  Gates. 

Have  you  gained  the  victory  over  the  foes  with- 
in you?  There  is  jealousy.  Would  you  overcome 
that?  If  you  are  jealous  of  any  one,  do  him  some 
good  turn.  There  is  a  fable  of  an  eagle  which  was 
jealous  of  another  that  could  outfly  him.  He  saw 
a  sportsman  one  day,  and  said  to  him,  "  I  wish  you 
would  bring  down  that  eagle."  The  sportsman  re- 
plied that  he  would  if  he  only  had  some  feathers  to 
put  into  his  arrow.  So  the  eagle  pulled  one  out  of 
his  wdng.  The  arrow  was  shot,  but  didn't  quite 
reach  the  rival  eagle;  it  was  flying  too  high.  The 
envious  eagle  kept  pulling  out  more  feathers  until 
he  lost  so  many  that  he  couldn't  fly,  and  then  the 
sportsman  turned  around  and  killed  him.  My 
friend,  if  you  are  jealous,  the  only  man  you  can 
hurt  is  yourself.  D.  L.  MoODY. 

343 


DAY 
XXVI 

For  all  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust 
of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life,  is  not  of  the  Father,  but  is  of 
the  world.— 1  John  ii.  16. 

Satan,  the  world,  and  the  flesh  are  the  three 
mighty  foes  of  the  child  of  God. 

Man,  led  captive  by  Satan  at  his  will,  either  denies 
his  existence  or  clothes  him  with  hoofs  and  horns, 
a  creature  to  be  dreaded  and  shrunk  from;  instead 
of  remembering  the  warning  that  he  appears  as  an 
angel  of  light,  presenting  to  each  a  tempting  bait, 
and  luring  on  in  pleasant  paths  the  soul  to  hell. 
Never  will  you  be  in  so  great  danger  from  Satan  as 
when  careless  and  unconcerned  as  to  his  existence, 
and  even  questioning  his  personality. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 

The  defiled  imagination  is  the  devil's  sharp-shooter 
secretly  firing  death-missiles  into  the  souls  of  man 
from  the  domain  of  hell.  By  it  he  fetters  the  will, 
deadens  the  sense  of  right  and  duty,  sears  the  con- 
science, hardens  the  heart,  and  destroys  the  soul. 
Using  it  as  a  banquet-table,  he  spreads  before  ap- 
petite, passion,  and  lust  every  allurement  for  evil 
which  can  be  wrought  out  of  the  wine-cup,  gam- 
bling game,  lottery  device,  race-track  scourge,  un- 
hallowed love,  evil  reading,  and  kindred  vices.  The 
defiled  imagination  fills  the  atmosphere  of  the  soul 
with  reeking  odors;  it  deposits  a  deadly  poison  in 
the  fountain  of  moral  purity,  corrupting  the  stream 
of  life.  As  sewer-gas  poisons  and  infects  the  atmo- 
sphere of  the  home,  bringing  disease  and  death  in 
its  wake,  so  the  debauched  imagination,  the  sewer- 
gas  of  hell,  infects  the  domain  of  the  mind. 

Anthony  Comstock. 

344 


DAY 

xxvn 

But  now  being  made  free  from  sin,  and  become  servants  to 
God,  ye  have  your  fruit  unto  holiness,  and  the  end  everlasting 
life.— Rom.  vi.  22. 

I  have  had  people  come  to  me  again  and  again 
and  say,  "  I  would  not,  of  course,  go  to  a  polished- 
floor  ball,  but  I  suppose  there  is  no  harm  in  a  car- 
pet-dance. I  would  not  for  anything  go  to  see 
some  of  the  impure  plays  of  which  I  read  or  hear, 
but  a  good  first-class  moral  theater  I  suppose  is  all 
right  for  Christian  people,  is  it  not?"  I  cannot 
stop  to  weigh  worldly  pleasures  in  the  scales  as  a 
chemist  or  a  physician  would  measure  out  poisons; 
to  examine  into  the  exact  amount  of  grains  that 
make  up  the  difference  between  morality  and  im- 
morality. My  Lord  has  called  me  to  preach  a  life 
full  of  privilege,  when  all  is  consecrated  to  God;  a 
life  of  honor  and  of  delight,  in  giving  up  everjrthing 
to  the  Master.  Such  quibbling  distinctions  are  only 
of  the  devil.  We  must  not  degrade  our  Christianity 
thus.  We  must  ask  ourselves  just  this  one  thing: 
"  If  I  am  consecrated  to  God  from  this  day  forward, 
for  time  and  for  eternity,  and  my  profession  is  real, 
how  can  I  prove  it  best  by  every  action  of  my  life, 
by  every  thought  and  every  word  that  proceeds 
from  me?"  That  is  all  that  we  need  to  inquire. 
It  is  not  how  near  v/e  may  sail  to  the  world  in  its 
pleasures  and  custom,  and  give  the  fag-ends  to  God 
from  a  sense  of  duty  and  necessity,  but  how  we  can 
delight  our  souls  in  him  and  his  service.  There  are 
many  Christians  who  seem  to  live  upon  earth,  and 
now  and  then  pay  duty-calls  in  heaven;  but  the 
true  privilege  of  the  Christian  is  to  live  in  heaven, 
and  pay  certain  duty-calls  on  earth  when  God  im- 
poses the  necessity.  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

345 


DAY 
XXVffl 


And  hath  put  all  things  under  his  feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  the 
head  over  all  things  to  the  church,  which  is  his  body,  the  full- 
ness of  him  that  filleth  all  in  all.— Eph.  i.  22,  23. 

Why  did  God  say  that  Christ  was  the  head  to  the 
church,  which  was  his  body  ?  In  the  first  place,  the 
head  is  the  seat  of  government  so  far  as  the  body 
is  concerned.  It  is  an  indication  of  a  diseased 
spiritual  condition  when  the  church  is  not  through 
and  through  governed  by  Christ.  What  a  mighty 
work  the  church  might  accomplish  through  the 
power  of  God  if  it  should  awaken  to  tha  glorious 
truth  that  the  Lord  Christ  is  head  over  all ! 

Christ,  as  the  head  of  the  church,  is  the  seat  of 
wisdom.  What  a  glorious  thought  that  all  the  wis- 
dom locked  up  in  the  eternal  being  of  Jehovah  is  ours! 

Suppose  it  were  possible  for  the  various  members 
of  the  body  to  act  independently  of  the  headship. 
Suppose  my  right  foot  were  to  walk,  my  left  foot 
to  dance,  my  right  hand  to  write  a  sermon,  and  my 
left  hand  to  play  the  banjo;  I  should  at  least  make 
a  very  suspicious-looking  figure.  Many  a  church  in 
the  sight  of  God's  angels  is  just  as  ridiculous  as 
that.  In  how  many  churches  you  find  that  instead 
of  every  organization  being  guided  by  Christ's  wis- 
dom and  working  in  harmony,  every  member  is  pull- 
ing his  own  way. 

Again,  the  head  is  the  seat  of  the  consciousness 
of  joy  and  pain!  What  a  comfort  to  feel  that,  how- 
ever small  the  position  we  hold,  Christ  feels  our  joy 
and  pain!  In  the  physical  body  sometimes  the  brain 
gets  out  of  order,  needs  sleep,  so  that  it  does  not 
warn  us  of  danger.     But  Christ  never  sleeps. 

A.  S.  GUMBART. 
346 


DAY 

xxrx 

Behold,  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell 
together  in  unity!  — Ps.  cxxxiii.  1. 

A  great  commentator  on  the  Psalms  says  that  it 
is  not  unity  with  one  another  that  is  meant,  but 
unity  with  the  great  Head  which  makes  unity  with 
one  another.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

Three  things  are  essential  to  the  communion  of 
the  saints;  first,  their  union  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  by  his  Holy  Spirit  on  his  part  and  faith  on 
their  part;  second,  the  simultaneous  workings  of 
love  and  hope  and  joy  and  peace  and  life  and  full- 
ness of  assurance  of  salvation  in  the  souls  of  all 
believers;  and  third,  the  consciousness  of  the  simul- 
taneousness  of  these  workings. 

Nathaniel  West. 

"  Many  as  the  waves,  but  one  as  the  sea,"  is  the 
motto  of  the  true  church  of  Christ.  But  equally 
true  is  it  of  the  works  of  God  and  the  Word  of  God. 

F.  N.  Peloubet. 

Even  among  Christians,  how  often  there  are  di- 
visions and  bitternesses  among  those  who  work  to- 
gether! The  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  love,  is 
often  absent  in  Christ's  own  people.  Jesus  Christ  can 
give  us  the  victory  over  sin  and  can  keep  from  ac- 
tual transgression.  I  do  not  say  that  the  root  of  sin 
will  be  eradicated  and  that  you  will  not  have  any 
natural  tendency  to  sin;  but  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
comes  not  only  in  his  power  for  service  as  a  gift, 
but  when  he  comes  in  divine  grace  to  fill  the  heart, 
there  is  victory  over  sin;  power  not  to  fulfil  the 
lusts  of  the  flesh;  ability  to  live  peaceably  among 
our  brethren.  Andrew  Murray. 

347 


DAY 
XXX 

My  cup  runneth  over.— Ps.  xxiii.  5. 

Now  there  is  no  use  in  a  cup  running  over;  if  a 
cup  is  full,  that  is  enough;  if  it  is  nearly  full,  it  is 
more  convenient;  and  yet  it  is  the  part  of  friendship 
and  it  is  the  part  of  God  to  have  the  cup  running 
over.  The  Queen  of  Sheba  came  to  see  Solomon, 
and  when  she  went  away  the  king,  having  given 
her  everything  which  she  asked  for,  added  some- 
thing more;  not  because  she  had  desired  it,  but  be- 
cause he  had  desired  it;  not  out  of  her  heart's  seek- 
ing, but  out  of  his  heart's  wishing  to  bestow.  The 
part  he  wanted  to  give  is  called  the  "royal  bounty"; 
that  is,  the  part  that  overflowed,  and  it  was  very 
much  the  best  part. 

Christ  always  gives  more  than  men  ask  for.  At 
Capernaum  they  brought  a  man  sick  with  the  palsy. 
Jesus  saw  perfectly  well  what  they  wanted,  but  he 
passed  over  that  and  said,  "  Son,  be  of  good  cheer; 
thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee."  That  was  enough.  The 
man  would  be  able  to  walk  in  a  few  days;  death 
would  heal  him.  But  they  were  a  little  discon- 
tented, so  Jesus  healed  him— threw  that  in. 

Then  he  came  to  that  miracle  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 
The  disciples  had  toiled  all  night  and  taken  nothing. 
In  the  morning  Jesus  told  them  where  to  cast  the 
net,  and  they  drew  it  in  full  of  fishes— a  hundred 
and  fifty-three  fishes.  But  then  there  was  a  fire  of 
coals  on  the  shore  and  fish  laid  thereon.  That  last 
fish  is  the  running  over  of  the  cup.  That  was  the 
best  fish  of  all.  That  is  what  Christ  is  doing  all  the 
while.  He  gives  us  a  hundred  and  fifty-three  to 
sustain  life  and  then  he  adds  another— that  is  his 
royal  bounty. 

Alexander  McKenzie, 
348 


(Month  of  Tfec ember 

Holly  and  Mistletoe 
Theo.  L.  Curler    Seniiimrv  Grounds^  Winter  Scene 


Let  us  lay  aside  every  weight,  and  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily 
beset  us,  and  let  us  run  with  patience  the  race  that  is  set  before 
us.— Heb.  xii.  1. 

We  all  have  what  the  negro  called  our  "  upsetting 
sin,"  but  we  don't  always  know  what  it  is.  I  will  tell 
you  what  is  the  besetting  sin  of  every  one  of  us. 
When  man  fell  from  God  originally  he  fell  into 
himself.  There  is  your  besetting  sin— self.  Self  is 
the  house  devil,  after  all,  that  :very  one  of  us  has 
to  fight;  smooth-tongued,  suave,  hoodwinking  us  all. 
"  Oh,  how  much  good  I  am  doing! "  Are  you?  Self 
whispered  that.  When  they  told  a  noted  preacher 
at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  that  he  had  preached  a  good 
sermon  he  said,  "  The  devil  told  me  that  before  I  left 
the  pulpit."  I  tell  you,  self  in  some  form,  my  brother, 
will  be  an  enemy  all  the  time  to  be  fought.  We 
must  get  rid  of  self,  or  we  can  never  be  filled  with 
the  Spirit.  Charles  G.  Finney  said  that  when  he 
went  into  the  cities  to  begin  his  evangelistic  work  he 
would  sometimes  preach  a  day  or  two  without  one 
atom  of  power.  What  did  he  do?  He  just  let  him- 
self down  before  God  and  prayed  God  to  empty  him 
of  Charles  G.  Finney,  as  it  were,  to  take  the  bump 
of  self-reliance,  self-trust,  and  self-seeking  out  of 
him.  "Seekest  thou  great  things  for  thyself  ?"— 
even  in  Christian  work,  — ^' seek  them  not."  Let 
them  be  for  Christ.  When  self  is  out  there  may  be 
an  inpouring  of  the  Spirit.  Pray  that  you  may  be 
so  filled  mth  Christ  that  there  shall  not  be  room  for 
the  house  devil  of  self. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 


849 


DAY 

n 


Brethren,  if  a  man  be  overtaken  in  a  fault,  ye  which  are  spir- 
itual, restore  such  a  one  in  the  spirit  of  meekness.— Gal.  vi.  1. 

There  we  see  two  marks  of  the  spiritual  man: 
he  will  be  a  meek  man  and  he  will  have  power  and 
love  to  help  and  restore  those  that  are  fallen. 

Andrew  Murray. 

Brethren,  we  are  members  one  of  another.  Why, 
then,  do  we  hurt  and  annoy  one  another?  There 
ought  to  be  no  discord  in  the  home  or  in  the  church, 
because  we  are  called  to  be  one  body,  and  if  I  wound 
a  brother  Christian  I  am  blighting  my  own  life;  I  am 
spoiling  the  body  which  is  one. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

To  be  a  Christian  a  man  must  be  born  of  the  Spirit, 
born  into  the  family  of  God.  The  Lord  Jesus  is  the 
elder  brother  in  this  family,  and  we  are  all  ordained 
to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  the  elder  brother. 
If  you  do  not  see  the  likeness  to  Christ  in  your 
fellow-Christians  the  trouble  may  be  in  the  dullness 
of  your  eyes.  You  must  get  more  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  as  a  medium  through  which  the  Spirit  may  shine 
upon  the  eyes  of  your  understanding. 

L.  W.  MUNHALL. 

Some  people  will  never  know  anything  about  Jesus 
Christ  except  what  they  see  in  the  lives  of  his  dis- 
ciples. We  must  remind  people  of  Christ  by  living 
the  Christ-life  ourselves.  We  must  walk  so  close 
behind  Christ  that  people  will  not  see  us,  but  Christ. 

J.  M.  Thoburn. 

350 


DAY 

m 

My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me. 
—John  X.  27. 

True  sheep  know  the  voice  of  their  shepherd.  It 
is  a  sick  sheep  that  will  follow  a  stranger.  The 
goats  will  follow  anybody's  voice,  but  Jesus  is  the 
only  one  whom  it  is  safe  to  follow  in  all  things.  If 
you  follow  Abraham  you  are  apt  to  get  to  lying;  if 
you  follow  Moses  you  are  apt  to  lose  your  temper; 
if  you  follow  Elijah  you'll  get  discouraged  and  sit 
down  under  the  juniper-tree;  but  follow  Jesus  Christ 
and  you  will  find  that  you  are  led  in  the  path  of 
righteousness  and  peace. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

When  Garibaldi  was  raising  his  army  he  said,  "  I 
have  no  money,  no  food,  no  clothing,  no  stores,  no 
resources;  let  every  man  that  is  willing  to  suffer 
poverty,  shame,  hunger,  disease,  and  death,  and  who 
loves  Italy,  follow  me."  It  is  the  measure  of  our 
suffering  that  will  enable  us  to  be  like  the  Master. 
It  has  been  said  that  when  he  died  he  left  his  purse 
to  Judas,  his  clothes  to  the  soldiers,  his  mother  to 
John,  his  pardon  to  the  dying  thief,  and  his  peace  to 
his  disciples.  Some  one  has  said,  "  I  look  for  the 
world  and  I  find  it  in  the  church,  and  I  look  for  the 
church  and  I  find  it  in  the  world."  You  may  try  all 
you  please  for  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
unless  you  are  ^villing  to  present  your  bodies  a  living 
sacrifice  to  God,  you  cannot  be  filled  with  the  Spirit. 

D.  W.  Whittle. 

Hope  is  a  heavenly  bird  of  passage,  with  faith  and 
love  as  its  wings. 

L.  W.  MUNHALL. 

351 


DAY 
IV 


Kept  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith  unto  salvation  ready 
to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time.— 1  Pet.  i.  5. 

A  great  many  are  afraid  that  they  won't  hold  out. 
It  is  a  good  thing  to  remember  that  we  haven't  got 
to  hold  on  to  Christ;  Christ  holds  on  to  us. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Two  little  boys  are  walking  along  the  road  with 
their  father.  One  grasps  hold  of  his  father's  fingers, 
and  finds  that  it  is  about  all  he  can  manage.  The 
other  puts  his  hand  right  into  his  father's  large, 
strong  hand,  and  the  father  holds  it.  Suddenly  they 
come  to  a  ditch  in  the  road.  Both  slip;  the  one  who 
is  holding  his  father's  hand  loses  his  hold  and  goes 
down;  the  other  is  held  up  firmly  by  the  father's 
strong  grasp.  You  do  the  trusting  and  let  God  do 
the  keeping,  and  you  will  go  safe  through  life  and 
enter  into  glory.  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

Christ  in  heaven  is  our  hope  in  glory,  and  Christ 
in  the  heart  is  our  hope  of  glory.  An  anchor  is 
useless  unless  fastened  at  both  ends,  and  Christ  has 
fastened  one  end  in  glory,  while  the  Holy  Ghost 
comes  down  and  fastens  the  other  end  of  the  anchor 
in  our  hearts.  In  olden  times  the  anchor  used  to  be 
brought  in  first  and  the  ship  came  in  afterward.  So 
Christ  has  gone  in  as  the  forerunner  within  the  veil, 
and  we  shall  come  in  afterward.      A.  J.  Gordon. 

God  may  not  give  us  an  easy  journey  to  the 
Promised  Land,  but  he  will  give  us  a  safe  one. 

Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

352 


DAY 

V 


That  he  might  present  it  to  himself  a  glorious  church,  not  hav- 
ing spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing;  but  that  it  should  be  holy 
and  without  blemish.— Eph.  v.  27. 

In  the  body  of  his  flesh  through  death,  to  present  you  holy  and 
unblamable  and  unreprovable  in  his  sight.— Col.  i.  22. 

Here  are  eight  different  terms  to  express  the  final 
state  of  the  church:  *' glorious,"  "spotless,"  "with- 
out wrinkle,"  "without  any  such  thing,"  "holy," 
"without  blemish,"  "unblamable,"  "unreprovable;" 
and  Jude  has  one  more  adjective— "faultless." 
Think  of  it.  Even  you  are  to  be  presented  faultless 
before  the  presence  of  his  glory.  The  presence  of 
God's  glory  is  so  awful  that  when  Daniel  himself, 
the  well-nigh  perfect  man  in  Babylon,  was  confronted 
with  the  vision  of  the  glory,  he  says,  "  My  comeliness 
was  turned  into  corruption,  and  there  remained  in 
me  no  more  strength."  The  very  things  that  he  had 
prided  himself  upon,— his  virtue,  his  morality,  the 
excellence  of  his  character,  and  the  blamelessness 
of  his  life,— when  the  glory  of  the  Son  of  God  beat 
upon  him,  lost  their  beauty,  and  his  very  comeliness 
was  turned  into  corruption.  And  the  holy  man  of 
God,  John,  who  leaned  on  the  breast  of  eTesus  at 
supper,  tells  us  that  when  he  beheld  the  vision  of 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  he  "  fell  at  his  feet  as  dead." 
And  yet— astounding  fact!— you  and  I  are  to  be 
presented  faultless  before  the  presence  of  that  same 
glory.  It  will  remove  the  last  taint  or  scar  of  sin, 
so  that  even  God  cannot  find  a  remnant  of  sin,  not 
a  trace  of  guilt,  not  even  a  scar  left  by  the  wounds 
of  sin  on  your  soul,  in  your  final,  ultimate,  glorious 
perfection, 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

353 


DAY 

VI 


The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound 
thereof 'but  canst  not  teil  whence  it  coraeth,  and  whither  it  goeth: 
30  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit.— John  iii.  8. 

In  condescension  to  the  infirmity  of  our  nature, 
God  clothes  his  spiritual  truth  in  material  forms, 
making  the  kingdom  of  nature,  which  is  seen,  illus- 
trate for  us  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  which  is  not 
seen.  The  greatest  teacher  of  spiritual  truth  that 
ever  lived  cast  nearly  all  his  instruction  in  the  form 
of  parables.  In  like  manner,  when  the  Scriptures 
would  give  us  some  insight  into  the  character  and 
phases  of  the  third  person  of  the  Trinity,  they  do  it 
by  a  series  of  emblems  drawn  from  the  natural  world. 
One  emblem  of  the  Spirit  is  that  of  fire,  the  illumi- 
nating agency  in  the  world,  as  the  Spirit  is  the  only 
agency  that  can  drive  away  the  darkness  of  sin  and 
let  in  the  sunlight  of  God.  Another  emblem  of  the 
Spirit  is  water,  the  universal  cleansing  agent,  as  the 
Spirit  is  the  only  power  that  can  cleanse  us  from  the 
pollution  of  sin.  Another  emblem  is  oil,  the  old-time 
medicine,  as  the  Spirit  is  the  only  being  in  the  uni- 
verse to  bind  up  the  broken  heart;  also  oil  is  the 
consecrating  element,  and  we  cannot  become  kings 
and  priests  unto  God  until  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit. 
But  the  m-ost  remarkable  emblem  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  the  wind.  There  are  three  great  points  about  the 
Holy  Spirit  stated  in  this  verse  which  our  Lord  ob- 
truded upon  the  mind  of  Nicodemus.  The  wind  and 
the  Spirit  are  both  invisible  to  man,  they  are  both 
indispensable  to  him,  and  they  are  both  independent 
of  him. 

W.  W.  Moore. 


354 


DAY 

vn 

Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty.— 2  Cor.  iii.  17. 

Some  people  think  that  this  means  liberty  for  them 
to  do  just  about  as  they  please.  I  never  shall  forget 
how  I  was  startled  when  a  Christian  once  asked  me, 
"  Do  you  always  have  a  program  made  out  for  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  your  church?"  In  most  of  our 
churches  everything  is  planned  very  exactly:  a 
voluntary  here,  a  response  here,  a  sermon  here,  and 
so  on— all  fixed  from  beginning  to  end.  It  is  the 
lack  of  liberty  that  causes  so  much  deadness  in  the 
pulpit  and  deadness  in  the  pew.  Oh,  for  the  liberty 
of  the  Spirit!  A.  J.  Gordon. 

When  a  man  tries  to  speak  for  Christ  without  the 
help  of  the  Spirit  he  will  not  have  liberty;  he  is  apt 
to  be  fettered,  like  Lazarus  when  he  came  out  of  the 
grave  with  a  napkin  bound  over  his  mouth.  If  a 
man  neglects  prayer  and  his  Bible  he  is  not  going  to 
have  liberty.  I  have  seen  ministers  in  the  pulpit  as 
dry  as  Gideon's  fleece.  Sometimes  it  is  the  fault  of 
the  minister  and  sometimes  it  is  the  fault  of  the 
people.  Do  you  suppose  there  would  have  been  any- 
body converted  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  if  the  one 
hundred  and  twenty  had  been  criticizing  Peter? 
Suppose  James  had  said  to  John,  "  I  do  not  think 
Peter  is  preaching  as  well  as  usual.  It  is  the  most 
influential  congregation  I  have  ever  seen  in  Jerusa- 
lem. There  is  half  of  the  sanhedrim,  and  more  than 
forty  of  the  leading  rabbis,  and  half  of  the  leading 
Sadducees;  and  yet  Peter  is  giving  a  very  ordinary 
sort  of  a  talk."  But  Peter  had  not  talked  very  long 
before  there  came  gales  from  heaven  and  swept  over 
that  audience.  Those  one  hundred  and  twenty  were 
holding  Peter  up  in  prayer.  D.  L.  Moody. 

355 


DAY 

vm 


Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there 
am  I  in  the  midst  of  them.— Matt,  xviii.  20. 

If  Christ  had  said,  "  Where  five  or  six  hundred  are 
gathered  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst,"  how 
anxious  we  should  have  been  to  attend  great  meet- 
ings, that  we  might  get  near  the  Lord !  But  he  says, 
"  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together."  If  he 
had  said,  "Where  bishops  or  popes  or  great  men 
are  assembled,  there  will  I  be,"  we  should  travel  the 
world  over  to  attend  such  assemblies.  But  we  go  to 
the  prayer-meeting,  and  we  find  only  half  a  dozen, 
and  we  think  it  is  best  to  adjourn.  We  say,  "  There 
will  be  no  one  there  but  that  old  lame  brother,  and 
that  blind  sister,  and  that  deaf  one,"  and  so  we  stay 
away.  When  we  believe  what  Christ  has  said  we 
will  not  open  a  prayer-meeting  by  asking  him  to 
come  and  be  in  our  midst,  but  we  will  come  expect- 
ing to  find  him,  and  will  simply  say,  "Speak,  Lord; 
for  thy  servant  heareth."  H.  L.  Hastings. 

Much  of  our  strength  in  prayer  and  effort  is  ex- 
hausted in  striving  to  induce  God  to  agree  with  us 
and  come  to  our  assistance.  Some  one  asked  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  to  appoint  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer, 
that  God  might  be  on  their  side.  "Don't  bother 
about  that,"  said  the  man  of  common  sense.  "  God 
is  now  on  the  right  side;  you  simply  get  with  him." 
The  only  way  to  command  God  is  to  obey  him,  just 
as  the  only  way  to  command  electricity  and  steam 
is  to  obey  the  laws  that  govern  them. 

A.  C.  Dixon. 


S56 


DAY 
DC 

Be  careful  for  nothing;  but  in  everything  by  prayer  and  sup- 
plication with  thanksgiving  let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto 
God —Phil.  iv.  6. 

In  prayer  the  most  important  thing  is  to  catch  the 
ear  of  him  to  whom  I  speak*  Do  not  offer  one  peti^ 
tion  until  you  are  fully  conscious  of  having  secured 
the  attention  of  God.  You  need  to  have  your  heart 
filled  by  the  Spirit  with  the  holy  consciousness  that 
the  everlasting,  almighty  God  is  indeed  come  very 
near  you.  Andrew  Murray. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  make  long  prayers,  but  it  is 
essential  to  be  much  alone  with  God,  waiting  on  his 
will,  hearkening  for  his  voice,  lingering  in  the  garden 
of  Scripture  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord  God  in  the 
dawn  or  cool  of  the  day.  No  number  of  meetings, 
no  fellowship  with  Christian  friends,  no  amount  of 
Christian  activity,  can  compensate  for  the  neglect 
of  the  still  hour.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

It  is  possible  to  recite  even  as  sublime  a  prayer  as 
the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  do  it  with  as  little  thought  or 
emotion  or  appreciation  as  though  one  were  reeling 
off  prayers  by  the  yard.  To  repeat  the  alphabet  or 
multiplication  table  is  not  more  thoughtless  than 
many  formal  prayers  that  have  become  mere  reci- 
tations. Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

He  that  saveth  his  time  from  prayer  shall  lose  it. 
He  that  loseth  his  time  for  communion  with  God 
shall  find  it  in  blessing.  Robert  P.  Wilder. 

God  loves  us  too  much  to  give  us  all  we  ask  for. 
We  sometimes  pray  for  razors,  and  then  complain 
and  say  that  God  doesn't  answer  prayer. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

357 


DAY 
X 


The  Bible  is  not  specially  concerned  with  the 
points  wherein  men  differ.  No;  the  Bible  is  busy 
with  a  matter  of  life  and  death.  Suppose  that  men 
were  drowning,  and  you  were  shouting  directions  by 
which  they  should  escape.  You  would  call  them  to 
seize  the  rope  you  threw  them  without  stopping  to 
explain  to  them  that  a  rope  which  holds  the  end  of  a 
sail  is  called  a  sheet;  you  vv^ould  tell  them  to  swim 
to  the  ship  \vithout  being  particular  to  describe  the 
vessel  as  a  hermaphrodite  brig,  though  that  might 
be  its  technical  name.  So  the  Bible  does  not  trifle 
with  us  by  a  display  of  learning  or  by  delays  to  ex- 
plain every  trivial  thing.  It  sweeps  right  ahead  in  an 
herculean  effort  to  save  life,  and  does  not  stop  to 
palter  over  the  length  of  geologic  days,  or  the  omis- 
sion of  a  name  here  and  there  in  a  genealogical 
table.  It  tells  no  untruth,  though  on  a  multitude 
of  subjects  it  does  not  commit  itself,  but  presses 
straight  on  to  pluck  a  brand  from  the  burning. 

Addison  P.  Foster. 

What  man  made  man  may  destroy;  what  God  has 
made  God  \v\\\  preserve.  The  grass  of  infidel  oratory 
withereth,  the  flower  of  Christian  interpretation  often 
fadeth,  but  the  Word  of  God  shall  stand  forever. 

R.  S.  MacArthur. 

A  foolish  child  can  pull  a  flower  in  pieces,  but  it 
takes  a  God  to  form  and  paint  a  flower.  Until  a  man 
can  construct  a  book  that  equals  the  Bible  he  would 
better  let  the  Bible  stand  in  its  solitary  grandeur  and 
power.  David  Gregg. 


358 


DAY 
XI 


A  Scotchwoman  who  received  kind  letters  from 
her  son  found  bank-bills  inside  them,  but,  having 
never  seen  such  money,  thought  they  were  only 
pretty  pictures  and  put  them  aside.  Many  people 
think  the  promises  found  in  the  Bible  are  very  pretty 
pictures,  and  perhaps  some  of  you  have  put  them 
away  in  an  old  tea-pot.  Is  it  not  time  to  understand 
that  they  are  drafts  on  the  bank  of  heaven  that  will 
be  honored  night  and  day?  God  make  us  ashamed 
that  we  have  such  a  poverty-stricken  spiritual  life, 
when  all  the  resources  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  ready 
to  supply  our  need.  God  does  not  want  us  to  be 
beggars,  but  sons.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

God  never  deals  out  to  men  just  so  much  as  they 
need  and  no  more.  David  said,  "  He  maketh  me  to 
lie  down  in  green  pastures."  But  it  would  not  be 
possible  for  him  to  lie  down  in  a  millionth  part  of 
the  pastures.  "He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still 
waters."  There  were  a  hundred  thousand  water- 
brooks,  and  he  could  only  wait  by  one  to  refresh 
himself.  There  are  flowers  in  the  woods  where  no 
man  can  enjoy  their  beauty.  We  could  get  along 
without  beautiful  birds  and  their  warbling  notes. 
Ah!  they  are  the  overflow  of  the  cup.  God  gives  us 
a  great  many  blessings  that  we  do  not  ask  for.  So 
some  people  say  that  there  is  no  need  in  praying  be- 
cause God  gives  us  what  we  need  without  our  asking. 
Yes;  but  God  lets  us  come  to  him  and  tell  him  our 
wants,  and  he  gives  more  than  we  name.  Then  let 
us  ask  for  what  we  need,  and  come  back  and  thank 
him  for  that  and  for  the  royal  bounty. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

359 


DAY 

xn 

The  most  important  of  all  things  is  the  conception 
which  a  man  has  of  God.  Given  a  man's  idea  of  God, 
and  the  degree  of  sincerity  with  which  God  is  wor- 
shiped, and  there  can  be  no  difficulty  in  discovering 
the  moral  quality  of  the  worshiper.  Find  a  man 
whose  idea  of  God  is  low,  and  you  find  a  heathen. 
Find  a  man  whose  conception  of  God  is  lofty,  pure, 
tender,  loving,  and  you  find  a  life  ennobled  and  en- 
riched with  proportionate  thought  and  charity.  A 
God  infinite  in  power,  and  in  wisdom,  and  in  good- 
ness, and  in  love,  a  God  to  whom  sin  is  abominable, 
such  a  God  ought  to  produce  a  man  of  purity,  of 
dignity,  of  largeness  of  heart,  and  of  nobleness  of 
character.  David  Gregg. 

God  is  true  and  righteous  and  holy;  he  is  perfect 
in  his  equity  and  in  his  standards.  Instead  of  turning 
away  from  the  judgment  of  God  as  a  blemish  on  his 
character,  we  ought  to  rejoice  in  it  as  another  aspect 
of  his  benevolence.  We  must  have  in  God  the  bloom- 
ing valley  full  of  beautiful  flowers  and  ^^^th  the  purl- 
ing streams  of  grace,  and  also  the  dark,  frowning 
crags  of  divine  judgment,  the  very  intensity  of 
whose  shadow  implies  an  intensity  of  glory,  for  you 
never  can  get  shadow  without  light.  Prostrate 
yourself  before  an  engine,  and  the  very  quahties 
which  make  it  a  blessing  make  it  an  engine  of  de- 
struction. God  moves  on  a  track  of  absolute  and 
perfect  equity  and  holiness,  and  the  same  qualities 
that  insure  that  you  would  be  borne  forward  into  the 
eternal  ages  if  connected  with  God  make  it  sure  that 
you  would  be  ground  to  powder  if  you  place  yourself 
before  his  wheels  of  judgment. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

360 


DAY 

xm 

There  is  a  sevenfold  seal  of  God  upon  the  Bible, 
which  may  be  noticed  in  the  following  particulars: 
1.  Predictive  prophecy,  the  seal  of  divine  omnis- 
cience; 2.  History  and  biography,  the  seal  of  divine 
providence;  3.  Miracles,  the  seal  of  divine  omnipo- 
tence; 4.  Morality,  the  seal  of  divine  righteousness;  5. 
Unity,  the  seal  of  divine  omnipresence;  6.  Accuracy, 
the  seal  of  divine  truthfulness;  7.  Practical  power, 
the  seal  of  divine  benevolence. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

It  is  not  mere  speculation  of  fancy  to  consider  the 
tabernacle  and  temple  as  typical. 

First,  they  were  typical  of  heaven,  God's  true 
abiding-place,  and,  indeed,  of  the  whole  vast  uni- 
verse, which  is  a  sjonmetrical  temple  perfect  in 
every  part,  and  in  which  are  continually  being 
sung  praises  to  the  almightiness,  to  the  power,  to 
the  wisdom,  and  to  the  love  of  God. 

Then  the  temple  stands  as  a  type  of  the  incarna- 
tion of  the  Son  of  God  and  of  the  blessed  Christ,  the 
true  meeting-place  between  God  and  man.  Hence 
he  could  say,  "Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three 
days  I  will  raise  it  up  again." 

Then  we  know,  from  the  Epistles  to  the  Corin- 
thians, that  the  tabernacle  and  temple  are  types  of 
every  Christian,  for,  "  Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the 
temple  of  God?"  David  Baron. 

If  the  early  morning  hours  spent  by  Christians 
over  the  newspaper  were  given  to  the  Bible,  keeping 
the  paper  till  later,  what  a  change  would  be  wrought 
in  the  tone  of  our  Christian  life! 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

361 


DAY 
XIV 

The  believer's  union  with  Christ  is  represented  in 
the  Scriptures  in  the  form  of  similitudes  because  the 
human  mind  thus  understands  it  better.  To  give 
the  idea  of  security  it  is  compared  to  the  union  of 
the  stones  of  a  building  with  the  foundation-stone. 
But  stones  are  inanimate,  and  to  supply  the  idea 
of  vitality  it  is  further  compared  to  that  of  the  vine 
and  its  branches.  But  a  plant  has  no  consciousness 
and  power  of  motion,  and  therefore  the  union  be- 
tween Christ  and  the  believer  is  compared  to  that 
between  the  head  and  memibers  of  a  body :  Christ  the 
head,  the  seat  of  intelligence  and  feeling,  the  source 
of  vitality  and  volition,  and  all  the  members  being 
united  to  it  by  a  common  set  of  nerves,  and  by  the 
community  of  life  and  motion.  But  no  affection  is 
suggested  in  that  figure,  so  this  union  is  further 
compared  to  that  between  the  husband  and  wife, 
united  by  a  legal  tie,  and  both  thus  becoming  one. 
But  between  husband  and  wife  there  may  be  also  a 
lack  of  perfect  harmony;  and  so  Jesus  compares  the 
union  between  himself  and  the  believer  to  that  be- 
tween himself  and  the  Father,  the  sweetest  accord 
of  perfect  harmony.  And  in  the  eighth  chapter  of 
Romans  Paul  puts  the  capstone  on  this  glorious  struc- 
ture when  he  pronounces  the  union  between  Christ 
and  the  believer  to  be  everlasting,  challenging  all  the 
sundering  forces  of  the  universe  to  separate  us  from 
the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord. 
All  these  ideas  are  gathered  up  and  expressed  at 
once  in  a  great  general  statement  in  Paul's  first 
letter  to  the  Corinthians,  when  he  says,  "  But  he  that 
is  joined  unto  the  Lord  is  one  spirit."  This  general 
statement  means  that  the  believer  is  identical  v/ith 
Jesus  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  W.  W.  Moore. 

362 


DAY 
XV 

A  church  is  not  of  much  account  where  the  min- 
ister does  all  the  preaching,  and  nearly  all  the  pray- 
ing, and  all  the  visiting.  D.  L.  MoODY. 

A  factory  is  sometimes  linked  by  a  belt  to  a  power- 
house. Christ  is  the  center  and  source  of  all  power 
for  his  church.  The. Holy  Ghost  is  the  belt  to  the 
church,  carrying  up  our  needs  and  prayers,  and 
bringing  down  Christ's  answers  and  fullness.  As  I 
believe  that  wind-power  is  the  best  for  sail-boats,  and 
steam-power  is  the  best  for  engines,  so  I  believe 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  best  power  for  churches. 
For  a  church  to  bring  in  an  opera-singer  or  amuse- 
ments and  secular  appliances  to  make  the  church  go 
is  as  absurd  as  for  an  ocean  steamer  to  uncouple  its 
shaft  from  the  engine  and  couple  it  on  to  the  donkey- 
engine.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

"  Unto  every  one  that  entereth  the  house  of  the 
Lord,  his  daily  portion."  You  have  been  looking 
ahead  and  have  been  fretting  because  you  know  not 
how  the  supply  ^vill  come,  how  you  can  ever  go 
through  this  or  that  trial  or  sacrifice.  Beloved, 
God  never  said  look  ahead,  God  said  look  up;  God 
never  said  look  around,  he  only  said  look  into  the 
holy  of  holies;  God  never  said  look  down,  he  only 
said  look  into  the  face  of  the  living  God;  "Look 
unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth." 
As  we  look  beyond  to-day  and  say,  "  How  can  I  ex- 
pect that  in  the  w^ear  and  tear  of  daily  life  this  holy 
peace  is  to  be  sustained?"  the  answer  is,  "Unto 
every  one  that  entereth  into  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
his  daily  portion.''  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

363 


DAY 
XVI 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God, 
and  the  Word  was  God.— John  i.  1. 

A  word  is  the  manifestation  of  a  thought.  If  I 
wish  to  communicate  a  thought  to  you  that  thought 
takes  shape  in  words.  You  cannot  see  my  thought, 
but  what  is  there  comes  through  the  channels  of 
speech,  and  so  travels  through  your  ear  to  your 
mind,  and  becomes  part  of  your  thought.  Now 
Christ  became  the  Word  to  take  the  thought  out 
of  the  mind  and  heart  of  God,  and  translate  that 
thought  so  that  we  could  understand  it,  so  that 
what  was  before  invisible  and  inaudible  and  beyond 
the  reach  of  our  senses,  comes  into  our  minds  and 
hearts  as  something  that  was  in  God's  mind  and 
heart,  but  now  is  in  ours.  Beautiful  indeed  is  this 
as  an  expression  of  what  Christ  is  to  us.  You  want 
to  know  God;  well  then,  study  Christ,  and  you  will 
know  all  about  him.  "  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath 
seen  the  Father,"  said  Jesus. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

In  the  gospel  story  we  find  five  great  points  of 
special  importance— the  birth,  the  life  on  earth,  the 
death,  the  resurrection,  and  the  ascension.  An  old 
writer  has  called  them  "  the  process  of  Jesus  Christ " 
—the  process  by  which  he  became  our  glorified  King 
and  our  life.  In  all  this  life-process  we  must  be 
made  like  unto  him.  In  his  birth  he  received  his 
life  from  God.  In  his  life  upon  earth  he  lived  in 
dependence  on  God.  In  death  he  gave  up  his  life  to 
God.  In  his  resurrection  he  was  raised  up  by  God. 
In  his  ascension  he  lives  a  life  in  glory  with  God. 

Andrew  Murray. 

364 


DAY 

xvn 


Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a 
name  which  is  above  every  name;  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every 
knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth,  and 
things  under  the  earth.— Phil.  ii.  9,  10. 

The  other  names  of  Jesus  express  his  relationships, 
offices,  and  work,  but  this  name  is  most  potent  and 
precious.  There  is  majesty  in  the  name  God; 
there  is  independent  being  in  the  name  Jehovah; 
there  is  authority  in  the  name  Lord ;  there  is  unction 
in  the  name  Christ;  there  is  friendship  in  the  name 
Immanuel;  there  is  help  in  the  name  Advocate;  but 
in  the  name  Jesus  alone  is  there  salvation. 

George  C.  Needham. 

Between  creation  and  the  incarnation  of  Christ 
there  is  one  small  but  imiportant  object,  an  altar  of 
sacrifice.  Between  the  first  coming  and  the  second 
coming  is  another  small  object,  the  table  of  the  Lord. 
The  altar  of  sacrifice  refers  back  to  the  creation  and 
fall  of  man,  and  forward  to  the  incarnation  and  cross 
of  Christ.  Every  victim  that  bled  upon  the  altar 
reminded  men  of  their  sin,  of  Adam's  fall,  and  of  the 
disaster  that  overtook  the  race,  and  pointed  forward 
to  the  Lamb  of  God  that  was  to  take  away  the  sin 
of  the  world.  Likewise  the  table  of  the  Lord  has  a 
double  reference— backward  to  the  cross,  forward 
to  the  coming  of  the  Lord;  and  every  time  we  sit 
down  at  the  Lord's  table  the  body  and  blood  of  our 
Lord,  as  represented  in  the  bread  and  the  cup,  point 
back  to  his  cross  and  forward  to  his  second  appear- 
ing. "  As  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  this 
cup,  ye  do  show  the  Lord's  death  till  he  come." 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

365 


DAY 

xvm 

Whoso  offereth  praise  glorifieth  me.— Ps.  1.  23. 

Christ  here  teaches  that  the  highest  object  of 
money  is  not  even  to  minister  to  the  poor,  but  to 
glorify  God  and  express  the  gratitude  of  a  loving 
heart.  Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

I  am  so  impressed  with  the  importance  that  God 
attaches  to  sweet  voluntariness  that  I  am  often 
tempted  to  resolve  never  to  beg  a  cent  for  God 
again,  but  rather  spend  my  energy  in  getting  Chris- 
tians spiritualized,  assured  that  they  will  certainly 
become  liberalized.  A.  J.  Gordon. 

Gold  has  no  value  in  heaven.  They  use  it  there 
to  pave  the  streets  Vvith— better  gold  than  we  have 
down  here— transparent  gold.  God  can  make  gold 
as  easily  as  he  can  make  dirt;  but  he  knows  that 
man  has  his  heart  set  on  it,  and  what  he  wants  is 
what  your  heart  is  set  on.  If  you  love  him  you  will 
give  him  everything. 

God  told  the  children  of  Israel  that  if  they  hadn't 
»,  anything  else  they  might  even  bring  goats'  hair  and 
■^  it  would  be  accepted.  Thank  God  for  the  goats' 
hairs!  Lots  of  people  haven't  any  gold  or  silver  or 
brass  or  fine  linen,  but  they  have  a  few  goats'  hairs. 
God  wants  every  one  to  do  something,  as  much  as 
each  one  is  able.  D.  L.  Moody. 

The  church  is  weighed  down  to  earth  by  bags  of 
gold,  and  cannot  lift  itself  heavenward.  You  will 
have  to  give  an  account  of  that  which  God  has  in- 
trusted to  you  to  be  kept  for  himself  and  not  for 
yourself.  David  Baron. 

366 


DAY 
XIX 


Be  not  wise  in  your  own  conceits.— Rom.  xii.  16. 

What  God  wants  is  men  great  enough  to  be  small 
enough  to  be  used.  H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

I  used  to  think  that  God's  gifts  were  on  shelves 
one  above  the  other,  and  that  the  taller  we  grew  in 
Christian  character  the  easier  we  should  reach  them. 
I  find  now  that  God's  gifts  are  on  shelves  one  beneath 
the  other,  and  that  it  is  not  a  question  of  growing 
taller,  but  of  stooping  lower,  and  that  we  have  to  go 
down,  always  down,  to  get  his  best  gifts. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

We  have  come  so  much  to  regard  humility  a  car- 
dinal virtue  of  Christianity  that  we  may  have  forgot- 
ten that  the  Christian  should  be  ambitious.  I  think 
he  should  be  the  most  ambitious  person  on  the  earth. 
To  whom  is  the  promise  of  eternal  life  spoken  but 
to  those  who,  in  patient  endurance,  in  well-doing, 
seek  for  glory,  honor,  and  immortality,  than  which 
there  cannot  be  a  much  higher  ambition  ?  Humility 
is  sometimes  only  pride  turned  wrong  side  out,  just 
as  you  turn  a  garment,  and  dye  it,  and  refit  it.  A 
person  says,  "  If  I  can  get  into  heaven  at  last  I  am 
willing  to  occupy  a  back  seat."  But  Scripture  very 
certainly  indicates  that  you  are  to  seek  not  only 
barely  to  get  into  heaven,  but  you  are  to  seek  "  an 
abundant  entrance  "  which  "  shall  be  given  you  into 
the  kingdom  of  God."  The  back  seats  are  all  spoken 
for,  and  God  wants  us  to  get  as  near  the  throne  as 
possible.  A.  J.  Gordon. 


367 


DAY 
XX 

St.  Paul  says  to  the  Philippians,  "In  everything 
and  in  all  things  have  I  learned  the  secret  [Have 
you?  What  secret?]  both  to  be  filled  and  to  be  hun- 
gry, both  to  abound  and  to  be  in  want  "—the  secret 
of  perfect  contentment.  There  sat  the  aged  apostle, 
bound  by  a  chain  to  a  brutal  Roman  soldier.  Nero 
might  at  any  moment  order  his  head  to  be  cut  off, 
or  that  he  be  thrown  into  the  Tiber,  or  given  to  the 
lions.  He  has  nothing  but  the  comforts  of  a  miser- 
able Roman  prisoner.  He  has  not  even  a  friend  at 
times,  and  yet,  with  the  galling  chain  upon  his  wrist, 
and  facing  a  martyr's  death,  the  man  takes  the  pen 
and  writes,  "  In  all  things  have  I  learned  the  secret 
[blessed  initiation  into  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom!] 
both  to  be  filled  and  to  be  hungry,  both  to  abound 
and  to  be  in  want."  He  drops  a  little  thing,  only 
one,  and  gains  more  than  all  things;  that  is  the  se- 
cret. H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

The  peace  of  Christ  is  not  something  that  he  puts 
into  your  heart,  and  that  you  must  keep  that  it  may 
keep  you.  If  the  peace  of  God  is  to  rule  in  my  heart 
it  is  because  the  God  of  peace  himself  is  there. 

Andrew  Murray. 

How  little  have  we  accepted  and  made  use  of  the 
legacy  of  peace  and  joy  which  Christ  left  to  us!  In- 
stead of  faces  telling  the  world  what  a  full  salvation 
we  have,  how  often  a  long  face  has  suggested  that 
men  had  better  take  their  fill  of  happiness  first  be- 
fore they  leave  it  behind  by  becoming  Christians! 
May  God  give  us  so  to  live  winning  lives  that  others 
will  be  allured  to  desire  the  same  blessings  we  enjoy. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor, 


DAY 
XXI 


"Woe  to  him  that  strive th  with  his  Maker!" 
Pharaoh  did  it,  and  was  overthrown  in  the  Red  Sea; 
Saul  did  it,  and  was  deposed;  Jehoiakim  did  it,  and 
he  perished;  Judas  did  it,  and  he  hanged  himself;  the 
Pharisees  did  it,  and  their  city  was  destroyed ;  Julian 
the  Apostate  did  it,  and,  falling  back  upon  the  field 
of  battle,  said,  "Thou  hast  conquered,  0  Galilean!" 

You  can  tell  a  man  who  has  thwarted  God  if  you 
know  much  about  him.  Many  old  fossils  give  the 
same  experience  twenty  years  after  their  conversion 
that  they  gave  the  month  after.  In  a  prayer-meet- 
ing many  pray  the  same  stereotyped  prayer  year 
after  year.  Some  ministers  are  just  where  they 
were  in  their  doctrine  and  the  expression,  and  in 
their  very  sermons,  as  when  they  commenced  their 
ministry— arrested,  dwarfed.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

We  must  cooperate  with  God.  If  there  is  any  sin 
in  my  heart  that  I  am  not  willing  to  give  up,  then  I 
need  not  pray.  You  may  take  a  bottle,  and  cork  it 
up  tight,  and  put  it  under  Niagara,  and  there  will 
not  a  drop  of  that  mighty  volume  of  water  get  into 
the  bottle.  If  there  is  any  sin  in  my  heart  that  I  am 
not  willing  to  give  up  I  need  not  expect  a  blessing. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

These  are  the  things  that  hinder  a  mighty  work 
of  God  in  the  individual  man:  present  sin;  uncon- 
fessed  and  unrectified  past  sin;  an  unforgiving  spirit; 
fear  of  surrendering  unreservedly  to  the  will  of  God; 
pride;  unbelief.  Which  of  them  is  the  hindrance  in 
your  case?  Be  in  earnest;  find  out  the  hindrance, 
and  ask  God  to  take  it  away.  R.  A.  Torrey. 


DAY 

xxn 


Cursed  be  the  man  that  trusteth  in  man,  and  maketh  flesh  his 
arm.— Jer.  xvii,  5. 

Trust  in  yourself,  and  you  are  doomed  to  disap- 
pointment; trust  in  your  friends,  and  they  will  die 
and  leave  you;  trust  in  money,  and  you  may  have  it 
taken  from  you;  trust  in  reputation,  and  some  slan- 
derous tongue  may  blast  it;  but  trust  in  God,  and 
you  are  never  to  be  confounded  in  time  or  eternity. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

The  Scriptures  not  only  tell  us  that  the  Christian 
religion  has  come  to  inform  us  how  we  are  to  be 
saved,  but  that  our  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  conditions 
our  salvation.  It  is  not  as  it  might  have  been— that 
the  salvation  came,  and  that  we  can  get  the  benefit 
of  it  whether  we  know  anything  about  it  or  not, 
whether  we  have  any  creed  or  not,  whether  we  re- 
pudiate the  whole  thing  or  not,  whether  we  believe 
in  it  or  not.  It  is  not  like  the  tide,  that  rises 
whether  you  care  about  the  moon's  influence  or  not. 
Our  destiny  is  connected  not  simply  with  the  fact 
of  Christ's  atonement  as  recorded  in  the  Bible,  but 
is  conditioned  on  our  acceptance  of  it.  There  is  no 
question  of  greater  moment  to  you  in  your  intellec- 
tual life  than  this  obligation  to  believe  something 
definite  about  Jesus  Christ,  as  to  what  he  was,  what 
he  did,  and  how  the  doing  of  what  he  did  stands  re- 
lated to  the  divine  economy  of  men's  salvation. 

Francis  L.  Patton. 

Unless  our  faith  is  manifested  in  righteousness, 
we  must  beware  lest  we  think  it  is  genuine  when  it 
is  not;  there  must  be  in  it  the  seed  of  all  holy  life. 

Teunis  S.  Hamlin. 
370 


DAY 

xxm 


The  seed  is  the  Word  of  God.— Luke  viii.  11. 


The  seed  is  the  perfect  fruit  of  the  flower,  to  which 
all  parts  of  the  flower  are  subservient,  and  the  flower 
must  die  to  develop  the  seed  in  its  completeness.  The 
gospel  of  Christ  is  the  seed  to  which  everything  in 
God's  Word  is  subject.  Not  till  Calvary  did  we  have 
a  complete  gospel,  which  is  therefore  the  final  pro- 
duct of  God's  thought;  and  Christ  himself  is  the  rose 
of  Sharon  and  the  lily  of  the  valley.  It  was  necessary 
that  Christ  should  die  that  you  and  I  might  have 
that  seed  which  contains  the  very  life  of  God.  We 
cannot  find  the  product  of  God's  thought  in  any 
other  character.  Therefore,  though  we  ought  to 
know  the  whole  of  the  Word  of  God,  we  ought  to 
study  it  only  in  connection  with  this  thought,  that 
we  are  somehow  to  be  led  to  the  clearer  and  fuller 
understanding  of  the  Word  of  God,  which  is  the  seed. 

the  seed  is  composed  of  two  parts— the  shell,  or 
outer  part,  without  life,  and  the  inner  part  contain- 
ing life.  The  gospel  of  Christ  consists  of  two  parts. 
There  is  the  shell,  the  printed  Bible;  and  there  is 
the  inner  part,  which  contains  the  life  and  the  spirit. 
What  is  the  shell  for  ?  So  far  as  the  seed  is  concerned, 
for  the  protection  of  the  life  within  and  for  the  con- 
veyance of  that  which  makes  the  life  within.  If  you 
destroy  the  shell  you  destroy  the  life.  The  shell  of 
that  seed  which  is  the  Word  of  God  has  been  given  us 
for  the  protection  of  the  life  within  and  for  its  con- 
veyance. 

God  intended  the  seed  for  dissemination.  Is  this 
gospel  to  stay  in  your  heart  or  town?  No;  wherever 
there  is  a  human  heart  there  is  where  God  expects 
this  seed  to  be  planted.  A.  S.  Gumbart. 

371 


DAY 
XXIV 

God  seeks  to  mold  us  by  circumstances,  and  you 
must  believe  that  God  has  put  you  down  just  where 
you  are  because  your  present  position  is  the  very 
best  place  in  the  universe  to  make  you  what  he 
wants  you  to  become.  He  could  have  made  you  a 
king  or  a  bishop,  a  millionaire  or  a  statesman;  but 
he  passed  all  these  by  and  has  put  you  just  where 
you  are.  You  may  be  a  stablem.an,  a  cook,  or  a 
housemaid;  but  God  had  the  whole  universe  to  choose 
from,  and  he  wanted  to  do  his  best  for  you,  and  he 
put  your  soul  just  where  it  is  because  he  knew  that 
there  you  would  be  surrounded  by  the  best  condi- 
tions to  make  you  what  he  wanted  you  to  become. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

Jesus  Christ  is  a  very,  very  peculiar  Saviour  to  meet 
the  very,  very  peculiar  need  of  very,  very  peculiar 
sinners,  in  all  our  very,  very  peculiar  circumstances, 
and  to  bring  victory  to  our  very,  very  peculiar  souls, 
under  all  the  very,  very  peculiar  difficulties  under 
which  we,  in  our  very,  very  peculiar  circumstances, 
may  be  called  to  pass  throughout  our  lives. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

When  a  young  man  is  converted  he  is  almost  al- 
ways inclined  at  first  to  say,  "  I  know  I  could  do  far 
more  good  if  I  was  a  preacher,  so  I'll  leave  my  busi- 
ness and  become  a  preacher  of  the  gospel."  But 
very  often  mistakes  are  made  just  in  this  way.  God 
may  have  given  you  some  work  to  do  for  him  in  the 
position  in  which  he  has  placed  you  which  no  one 
else  could  do  if  you  were  to  leave  it  undone.  We 
should  be  very  careful  how  we  wish  to  change  from 
whatever  position  in  life  into  which  God  has  seen  fit 
to  put  us.  Andrew  A.  Bonar. 

372 


-^i 


I  wonder  not  that  the  scorning  skeptic  so  often 
mocks  at  Christians  because  he  says  that  they  cow- 
ardly cringe  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  ready  to  take 
God's  gift  like  a  sneak,  but  show  nothing  as  a  fruit 
of  that  blessed  gift.  Remember  that  God  demands, 
and  where  God  demands  he  enables,  and  where  God 
enables  he  expects  us  to  fulfil. 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

When  Leonard  Woods,  president  of  Bowdoin  Col- 
lege, was  in  France,  he  was  invited  to  dine  with  the 
king.  He  presented  himself  at  the  palace,  and  was 
met  by  the  king  with  his  accustomed  courtesy,  who 
said,  "  We  did  not  know  that  we  were  to  have  the 
pleasure  of  your  company  to-day.  You  did  not 
answer  our  invitation."  Leonard  Woods  said,  *'I 
thought  the  invitation  of  a  king  was  to  be  obeyed, 
not  answered."  When  the  Spirit  says  "  Come  "  it  is 
equal  to  a  command,  and  we  would  better  put  off 
all  other  engagements  and  come.  No  matter  how 
gently  and  winsomely  the  invitation  comes,  let  us 
never  forget  that  there  is  a  voice  of  royal,  imperial, 
imperious  urgency  and  authority  behind  it. 

John  McNeill. 

We  must  not  only  accept  God's  will  as  revealed 
in  his  Word,  but  we  must  accept  it  in  every  provi- 
dence. Whether  it  be  a  Judas  that  betrays  or  Pilate 
in  his  indifference  who  gives  you  up  to  the  enemy, 
whatever  trouble  or  temptation,  vexation  or  worry 
comes,  see  God  in  it,  and  accept  it  as  his  will. 

Andrew  Murray. 

373 


DAY 
XXVI 

It  is  time  that  the  church  of  God  should  awake 
to  her  responsibility.  We  have  been  acting  as 
though  we  had  an  eternity  in  which  to  do  the  work, 
and  the  people  whom  we  seek  to  reach  an  eternity 
on  earth  in  which  to  be  reached. 

Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

Did  you  ever  think,  my  brother,  my  sister,  that  if 
it  were  not  for  missionary  work  you  would  be  serv- 
ing idols  to-day?  Suppose  that  Paul  and  those  who 
labored  with  him  had  been  directed  to  go  east  in 
place  of  west.  How  shocked  you  are  when,  in  some 
picture,  you  see  a  mother  throwing  her  child  into 
the  Ganges!  It  might  have  been  you,  my  sister. 
Have  you  no  pity  for  the  fellow-beings  that  are  dy- 
ing at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  thousand  a  day? 

W.  E.  Blackstone. 

In  China  are  tens  of  thousands  of  villages  with 
small  trace  of  Bible  influence,  but  hardly  a  hamlet 
where  the  opium  pipe  does  not  reign.  It  does  more 
harm  in  a  week  than  all  our  missionaries  are  doing 
good  in  a  year;  it  is  the  sum  of  villainies.  It  de- 
bauches more  families  than  drink  and  it  makes  more 
slaves  than  the  slave-trade. 

J.  Hudson  Taylor. 

The  world  is  open  to  Christian  woman  as  it  never 
has  been  before.  She  must  wTite;  for  a  literature 
must  be  created  for  the  women  of  the  East.  She 
must  teach;  for  the  convert  must  be  trained  and  the 
heathen  won.  She  must  evangelize;  for  her  feet 
alone  can  carry  the  good  tidings  of  peace  to  her 
sisters  in  their  seclusion.  J.  M.  Thoburn. 

374 


DAY 

xxvn 


The  more  your  religion  costs  you,  the  richer  re- 
turns it  will  bring  you. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

Men  talk  much  of  giving  their  spirits  to  God;  they 
talk  somewhat  of  giving  their  souls;  and  they  think 
that  they  can  satisfy  God  and  man  by  saying  that 
they  present  their  spirits,  which  no  man  can  lay 
hold  of,  and  their  souls,  which  are  only  observable 
in  their  outward  acts;  but  they  refuse  to  give  their 
bodies,  for  the  most  part,  because  this  would  cost 
them  something  palpable;  this  would  involve  what 
even  men  call  **  self-sacrifice." 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

Christ  is  our  life.  The  air  is  our  life,  and  is  every- 
where. Is  the  air  nearer  to  us  than  Christ?  Verily, 
no!  Christ  is  around  us  on  every  side.  Nothing  in 
heaven  or  earth  or  hell  can  keep  the  light  of  Christ 
from  shining  into  the  heart  that  is  empty  and  open. 
Then  take  him  in  his  blessed  meekness  and  gentle- 
ness. When  he  has  taken  possession  of  you  there 
will  be  blessed  fellowship  with  him  day  by  day. 

Andrew  Murray. 

Hercules  could  not  kill  the  monster  against  which 
he  contended  until  he  lifted  him  from  earth,  his 
mother.  We  are  engaged  in  a  violent  struggle  with 
evils  that  are  of  the  earth,  earthy,  and  w^e  shall 
never  kill  those  things  within  us  and  of  us  till  we 
lift  them  away  from  that  in  which  they  were  born 
and  cleanse  them  in  the  atmosphere  of  spiritual 
union  with  Christ.  W.  W.  Moore. 

875 


DAY 

xxvm 

Before  any  work  for  God  there  always  comes  the 
vision  of  God.  To  behold  him,  to  be  lifted  up  above 
our  troubled  hearts,  above  our  worries  and  discords, 
and  to  be  absolutely  sure  that  we  have  spoken  with 
God  and  he  has  spoken  with  us,  this  is  the  indis- 
pensable preliminary  of  doing  anything  whatsoever 
in  God's  service.  If  a  servant  of  God  is  uncertain 
of  his  Master  he  will  be  uncertain  of  everything 
that  follows  in  his  service.  If  you  and  I  have  no 
doubt  about  having  seen  God,  then  our  divine  service 
will  grow  sweeter  and  clearer  and  easier  every  year 
we  live.  I  have  had  men  say  to  me,  "  Didn't  Paul's 
Christian  life  begin  with  the  question,  *  What  wilt 
thou  have  me  to  do?'"  No,  it  did  not;  no  life  be- 
gins with  that  question.  It  began  with  the  question, 
"Who  art  thou.  Lord?"  When  Paul  had  settled 
that  it  was  the  risen  Christ  who  appeared  to  him, 
then  came  the  much  easier  question,  "What  wilt 
thou  have  me  to  do?"  We  cannot  feed  the  multi- 
tude out  of  an  empty  basket;  we  cannot  present  the 
Lord  until  we  have  seen  the  Lord. 

W.  H.  P.  Faunce. 

When  God  beckons  you  forward  he  is  always  re- 
sponsible for  the  transport.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

When  God  almighty  linked  himself  with  Moses' 
rod  it  was  worth  more  than  all  the  armies  in  the 
world.  If  God  can  use  an  old,  dried-up,  withered 
rod  he  can  use  you  and  me.  It  was  not  Moses  nor 
Moses'  rod  that  brought  the  plagues  on  the  Egyp- 
tians, but  it  was  the  God  behind  the  rod. 

D.  L.  Moody. 

Point  to  without  trying  to  prop  up  the  cross. 
Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

376 


DAY 
XXIX 

Remember  there  are  few,  if  any,  cases  where  in 
judgment  much  is  made  of  sins  committed;  for  they 
are  purged  away  by  the  blood  of  Christ.  Men  are 
judged  because  of  what  they  have  not  done,  more 
than  because  of  what  they  have  done.  As  a  Christian 
said  on  his  death-bed,  when  asked  by  a  friend  who 
saw  him  weeping  if  he  was  afraid  to  die,  "Oh  no;  I 
am  not  afraid,  but  I  am  so  ashamed  to  die,  for  I  have 
done  so  little  for  my  Lord."  What  have  you  done 
for  him  in  return  for  what  he  has  done  for  you? 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

Napoleon  sought  to  rule  men;  Washington  aimed 
to  serve  them.  You  see  the  results  of  the  two  sys- 
tems in  what  is  left  of  them.  At  Waterloo  to-day 
you  find  a  great  waste  desert,  in  the  center  of  which 
is  simply  a  mound  to  commemorate  a  great  battle. 
But  around  the  field  of  Bunker  Hill  sprang  up  the 
great  city  of  colleges  and  schools,  and  those  influ- 
ences that  went  out  through  all  the  world;  that  is 
the  result  of  the  service  which  Washington  rendered 
in  contrast  to  the  domination  of  Napoleon.  You 
find  at  Mount  Vernon  a  very  plain  structure  for  the 
tomb  of  Washington,  scarcely  to  be  noticed,  except 
one  goes  out  of  his  way  to  see  it.  Napoleon's  tomb 
is  in  the  heart  of  Paris,  and  a  marble  casket  holds 
his  remains.  Washington's  remains  are  as  broad 
as  the  continent.  That  is  the  result  of  service  as 
opposed  to  self-seeking. 

Alexander  McKenzie. 

A  man  who  would  have  God's  guidance  must  be 
willing  to  make  spiritual  things  his  main  business. 

H.  C.  Mabie. 

377 


DAY 
XXX 

To  every  truly  established  Christian  there  ought 
to  be  a  fixed  standard  of  faith  and  duty,  a  great 
revelation  from  God  of  his  privilege  and  obligation 
in  every  respect  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of 
eternity.  We  must  put  God  to  the  front,  and  then 
remember  that  the  standard  of  holiness  which  we 
are  to  attain  must  never  be  lowered  to  meet  the 
necessity  of  man's  circumstances,  but  must  remain 
the  same,  the  absolutely  true  and  perfect  standard 
of  God  himself.  If  God  were  ever  to  lower  his 
standard  to  meet  my  requirements  there  could  never 
be  satisfaction  through  eternity  for  us  creatures, 
because  we  hope  to  rise  higher  and  higher,  to  be 
nearer  and  nearer  to  God.  If  I  found  that  God  had 
lowered  his  standard  of  holiness  to  meet  my  ideas 
down  here  in  my  imperfection,  how  could  I  reverence 
him  as  the  absolute  and  all-perfect  one? 

H.  W.  Webb-Peploe. 

The  conscience  sustains  to  the  mil  of  God  some 
such  relation  as  the  eye  sustains  to  any  work  that 
we  have  to  do.  Your  eye  may  be  very  accurate, 
but  who  would  trust  you  to  build  a  wall  if  you  have 
no  dependence  but  your  eye?  You  must  drop  the 
plumb-line  alongside  and  lay  the  level  upon  your 
work,  and  then  the  united  action  of  eye,  plumb-line, 
and  level  helps  you  to  make  a  perfectly  upright  wall. 
In  the  matter  of  truth  and  duty  your  eye  is  the 
fallible  conscience,  the  plumb-line  and  level  the 
revealed  ^vill  of  God,  and  the  action  of  the  two  to- 
gether enable  you  to  build  a  character  and  to  do 
works  that  are  according  to  the  will  of  God.  Christ 
had  to  come  as  the  prophet  to  supply  us  with  the 
plumb-line  and  level.  Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

378 


DAY 
XXXI 

That  is  to  be  the  common,  every-day  experience 
of  the  believer,  not  his  life  only  at  set  times.  Did 
ever  a  father  or  mother  think,  "  To-day  I  want  my 
child  to  love  me  "?  No;  they  expect  the  love  every 
day.  So  God  wants  his  child  every  moment  to  have 
a  heart  filled  with  love  by  the  Spirit.  In  the  eyes 
of  God  it  is  most  unnatural  to  expect  a  man  to  love 
as  he  should  if  he  is  not  filled  with  the  Spirit. 

Andrew.  Murray. 

It  is  only  when  we  begin  to  love  other  people,  and 
become  rooted  and  grounded  in  love  to  them,  that 
we  learn  to  know  what  Christ's  love  is  to  us.  You 
must  love  a  woman  that  you  may  understand  what 
•Christ  feels  for  his  church ;  you  miust  love  a  child  to 
know  how  God  feels  to  his  children;  you  must  love 
a  friend  to  know  how  Christ  feels  to  his  friend. 
Every  time  you  do  an  unselfish,  gentle,  tender  thing 
it  is  another  window  into  the  love  of  God.  You 
must  go  lengths  to  understand  the  length  of  his 
love,  which  is  everlasting;  you  must  go  depths  to 
the  infamy  and  degradation  of  such  as  you  would 
help  if  you  would  understand  the  depth  of  the  love 
of  Christ;  you  must  go  breadths  outside  the  narrow 
limits  of  your  charity  to  understand  his  broad  ex- 
panse of  love ;  and  you  must  climb  to  heights,  bear- 
ing up  some  languid,  fainting  soul,  if  you  will  under- 
stand something  of  the  upspringing  of  Christ's  love 
that  bears  us  in  his  ascension  climb.  Love  men  if 
you  want  to  know  the  love  of  Christ. 

F.  B.  Meyer. 

The  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  given  unto  us. 

Rom.  v.  5. 

379 


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Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


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